Part 15 (1/2)
”That won't help me any.”
”I think,” continued the lawyer, ”I think, the government counsel himself will recommend to the jury to find that there were mitigating circ.u.mstances.”
”I will not have them find mitigating circ.u.mstances,” cried Landolin, his face reddening. ”You may in my name, by my authority, refuse such a verdict. I know what that means. It is easy for a jury to say guilty when mitigating circ.u.mstances are tacked on; but when it's neck or nothing, they think twice before they speak.”
”Landolin, we are playing a serious game.”
”I know it.”
”Do you wish to address the jury yourself?”
”I don't know yet. I am afraid I should make some mistake.”
”You can tell me your decision in the court-room. You have the privilege of speaking.”
”I never thought of it before. It's come to me since I have been in prison. If I had my life to live over again, I'd like to be a lawyer.”
The lawyer urged Landolin to try and sleep a little, for he had a hard day before him, and must husband his strength. He would try to be fresh and strong himself.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Landolin tried to sleep, but he soon sprang up again. A man may sleep as much as he likes after he gets home, but now there is not a moment to be lost. He rang the bell, and very submissively asked the keeper to go for his son Peter, for he wanted to find out if the mother had come.
”What mother?”
”Oh pshaw! The mother of--of--of the poor fellow. Ask right out if Cus.h.i.+on-Kate is here. And tell my son to give you twenty marks for the saint's keeper.”
”For the saint's keeper? Where is he?”
”Are you so stupid? Or are you only pretending? The saint's keeper is inside of your coat.”
The grim keeper chuckled, and said to himself:
”And just think of people saying that farmers are stupid.”
He soon returned, and said that Vetturi's mother had not come, but--
”But what? Not my wife and daughter? I expressly forbade that.”
”No, not they; but half the village.”
”Did the saint's keeper get anything?”
”Yes,” chuckled the keeper. The day had brought him a rich harvest, both from those who were seeking to be dropped from the list of jurymen, and had sought his influence with the different counsel for that purpose, and from the people from the neighboring villages, whom he had promised to let into the court-room before any one else.