"No one could answer that exactly. As a lawyer, you certainly know that many laws are obsolete or foolish. Dead-letter laws--Sunday blue laws--that sort of thing. I would never willingly break any law that the majority considers important." "I see. You have decided then that the majority doesn't consider the law against adultery important?" "I don't know--I've already said I don't even know what laws New Essex has about that. If people are ever prosecuted for it--I suppose they are--I never heard of it." "Your answer isn't quite responsive. Do you mean you believe that in breaking the seventh commandment you were merely doing what everyone does more or less?" "I didn't say that. I--" Warner let his voice go: "I will inquire again whether the District Attorney believes he is trying a case of adultery." "I will reply again that I wish to discover Miss Blake's attitude toward law itself, as it bears on the reliability of her statements." Judge Mann spoke with acid: "Gentlemen ... Mr. Hunter, your point may be still defensible, but I think you're going too far afield. I suggest you bring your inquiry back to factual evidence and the material of direct testimony." "Very well, your Honor. Miss Blake, do you have a clear recollection of those letters of yours which were read in court this morning?" "Very clear." Warner saw him take them up from among the exhibits; fought back his surge of resentment that those hands, clean, excellently shaped, well manicured, should be handling them at all. "I recall, Miss Blake, that before these letters were read, quite a point was made about seeing to it that the jury heard a correct interpretation. This seems like a good opportunity to clear up one or two points and give the jury your own views on what they mean--that is, I take it you have no objection?" "You needn't make such a production of stage politeness." _Callista, don't!_ "I'm prepared to answer any legitimate questions as well as I can." Hunter's eyebrows rose and fell. He read to himself, slipped the first page under and read on. "Well--'my love (you know it) is nothing like what could happen for you with anyone but me. And there's my cure for jealousy--if I could apply it, if I could make my head rule a little more, my crazy heart a little less.' That appears, Miss Blake, to be among other things an admission that you did experience what's usually called jealousy. 'Something that could not happen with Ann. Or anywhere in her world.' That's jealousy, isn't it?" "I did experience it. I haven't denied it." "No? Now I thought that in direct testimony you said something to the effect that you had nothing against her. I think that--in direct testimony under oath--you called her a 'sweet and harmless girl'--something like that." "I think I said--apart from Jimmy--meaning--apart from the fact that she was his wife--oh, it's perfectly clear what I meant." "That is, you had nothing against her except that she was in the way?"