MR. WALTERS: And you became professionally engaged to Mr. Grewgious? WITNESS: Yes. MR. WALTERS: And you occupied the responsible and honourable position of “Noser”? WITNESS: Quite right. The best position I could get. MR. WALTERS: And he treated you with great respect? WITNESS: Yes. MR. WALTERS: Remarkable respect from a barrister to his clerk? WITNESS: That is due to the fact that he is a man of exceptional graciousness. MR. WALTERS: And you treated him with great respect? WITNESS: I worked for him, I think, very hard, and with very great fidelity. MR. WALTERS: I said you treated him with great respect. I did not ask about your fidelity. WITNESS: You will forgive my mentioning it, won’t you? MR. WALTERS: Now do you mind replying to the question? You treated him with very great respect? WITNESS: I hope so. MR. WALTERS: If you ever gave him a surly answer, would that be respectful? WITNESS: I don’t know. It would depend on the degree of surliness. MR. WALTERS: And you took his money as a good and faithful servant? WITNESS: I hope so. MR. WALTERS: And were absolutely devoted to his interests? WITNESS: I hope so. MR. WALTERS: So that on one occasion you fell asleep while he was talking? WITNESS: Yes; but in pursuance to his instructions. He told me that a conversation was going to take place which was no affair of mine, and that he was not particularly anxious for me to overhear it. But he was very anxious that I should witness the transaction at the end of the conversation. MR. WALTERS: Would it not have been more respectful to walk out of the room? WITNESS: I think not. It would place him in an extremely awkward position. MR. WALTERS: You preferred to fall asleep and snore? WITNESS: May I answer? If I had gone out, Mr. Grewgious would have had to come for me, and to have told Edwin Drood that he required a witness. MR. WALTERS: You preferred to fall asleep and snore in the presence of a client? WITNESS: I had forty winks after dinner. MR. WALTERS: You had forty winks, as you call it, while your employer was engaged with an important client? WITNESS: In a conversation which I was not supposed to hear. MR. WALTERS: Do you frequently fall asleep? WITNESS: No; I have no desire to slumber at present. MR. WALTERS: No; I think we shall wake you up presently. Do you usually sleep when respectable clients enter your office? WITNESS: No; I don’t usually receive such instructions. MR. WALTERS: That was the only respectful way of treating your master and client? WITNESS: I have had no remonstrance from Mr. Grewgious for it. I am still in his employment. He thought it was worth his while to go on employing me. MR. WALTERS: Mr. Bazzard, the story you have told proves to me that you have rather a strong imagination. Am I right? WITNESS: If it proves it to you, my good sir, by all means. I prefer to answer questions. MR. WALTERS: But probably you have also convinced the Jury that you are a gentleman of some imagination?