"Objection sustained," ruled the court. "The question is irrelevant. The jury is supposed to know that every case is important to those concerned--to the defendant as well as to those who charge him with crime." O'Brien bowed. "That's all. You may examine, Mr. Tutt." The old lawyer slowly unfolded his tall frame and gazed quizzically down upon the shivering Hepplewhite. "You have been sued by my client for one hundred thousand dollars, haven't you?" he demanded. "Object!" shot out O'Brien. "Overruled," snapped the court. "It is a proper question for cross-examination. It may show motive." Mr. Hepplewhite sat helplessly until the shooting was over. "Answer the question!" suddenly shouted Mr. Tutt. "But I thought--" he began. "Don't think!" retorted the court sarcastically. "The time to think has gone by. Answer!" "I don't know what the question is," stammered Mr. Hepplewhite, thoroughly frightened. "Lord! Lord!" groaned O'Brien in plain hearing of the jury. Mr. Tutt sighed sympathetically in mock resignation. "My dear sir," he began in icy tones, "when you had my client arrested and charged with being a burglar, had you made any personal inquiry as to the facts?" "I didn't have him arrested!" protested the witness. "You deny that you ordered Bibby to charge the defendant with burglary?" roared Mr. Tutt. "Take care! You know there is such a crime as perjury, do you not?" "No--I mean yes," stuttered Mr. Hepplewhite abjectly. "That is, I've heard about perjury--but the police attended to everything for me." "Aha!" cried Mr. Tutt, snorting angrily like the war horse depicted in the Book of Job. "The police 'attended' to my client for you, did they? What do you mean--for you? Did you pay them for their little attention?" "I always send them something on Christmas," said Mr. Hepplewhite. "Just like the postmen." Mr. Tutt looked significantly at the jury, while a titter ran round the court room. "Well," he continued with patient irony, "what we wish to know is whether these friends of yours whom you so kindly remember at Christmas dragged the helpless man away from your house, threw him into jail and charged him with burglary by your authority?" "I didn't think anything about it," asserted Hepplewhite "Really I didn't. I assumed that they knew what to do under such circumstances. I didn't suppose they needed any authority from me." Mr. Tutt eyed sideways the twelve jurymen. "Trying to get out of it, are you? Attempting to avoid responsibility? Are you thinking of what your position will be if the defendant is acquitted--with an action against you for one hundred thousand dollars?"