'Well; no. The likes of him seldom do like to unbosom themselves,' said Moulder.
'But that will be my desire. If they will only allow me to speak freely whatever I know about this matter, I will give them no trouble.'
'You mean to act honest, John,' said his sister.
'I always did, Mary Anne.'
'Well now, I'll tell you what it is,' said Moulder. 'As Mrs. Smiley don't like it I won't say anything more about gammon;—not just at present, that is.'
'I've no objection to gammon, Mr. Moulder, when properly used,' said Mrs. Smiley, 'but I look on it as disrespectful; and seeing the position which I hold as regards John Kenneby, anything disrespectful to him is hurtful to my feelings.'
'All right,' said Moulder. 'And now, John, I'll just tell you what it is. You've no more chance of being allowed to speak freely there than—than—than—no more than if you was in church. What are them fellows paid for if you're to say whatever you pleases out in your own way?'
'He only wants to say the truth, M.,' said Mrs. Moulder, who probably knew less than her husband of the general usages of courts of law.
'Truth be ———,' said Moulder.
'Mr. Moulder!' said Mrs. Smiley. 'There's ladies by, if you'll please to remember.'
'To hear such nonsense sets one past oneself,' continued he; 'as if all those lawyers were brought together there—the cleverest and sharpest fellows in the kingdom, mind you—to listen to a man like John here telling his own story in his own way. You'll have to tell your story in their way; that is, in two different ways. There'll be one fellow 'll make you tell it his way first, and another fellow 'll make you tell it again his way afterwards; and its odds but what the first 'll be at you again after that, till you won't know whether you stand on your heels or your head.'
'That can't be right,' said Mrs. Moulder.
'And why can't it be right?' said Moulder. 'They're paid for it; it's their duties; just as it's my duty to sell Hubbles and Grease's sugar. It's not for me to say the sugar's bad, or the samples not equal to the last. My duty is to sell, and I sell;—and it's their duty to get a verdict.'
'But the truth, Moulder———!' said Kenneby.
'Gammon!' said Moulder. 'Begging your pardon, Mrs. Smiley, for making use of the expression. Look you here, John; if you're paid to bring a man off not guilty, won't you bring him off if you can? I've been at trials times upon times, and listened till I've wished from the bottom of my heart that I'd been brought up a barrister. Not that I think much of myself, and I mean of course
