 their wives laying their heads upon their
pillows; that, they never could endure the notion of their children laying their
heads upon their pillows; in short, that there never more could be, for them or
theirs, any laying of heads upon pillows at all, unless the prisoner's head was
taken off. That head Mr. Attorney-General concluded by demanding of them, in the
name of everything he could think of with a round turn in it, and on the faith
of his solemn asseveration that he already considered the prisoner as good as
dead and gone.
    When the Attorney-General ceased, a buzz arose in the court as if a cloud of
great blue-flies were swarming about the prisoner, in anticipation of what he
was soon to become. When toned down again, the unimpeachable patriot appeared in
the witness-box.
    Mr. Solicitor-General then, following his leader's lead, examined the
patriot: John Barsad, gentleman, by name. The story of his pure soul was exactly
what Mr. Attorney-General had described it to be - perhaps, if it had a fault, a
little too exactly. Having released his noble bosom of its burden, he would have
modestly withdrawn himself, but that the wigged gentleman with the papers before
him, sitting not far from Mr. Lorry, begged to ask him a few questions. The
wigged gentleman sitting opposite, still looking at the ceiling of the court.
    Had he ever been a spy himself? No, he scorned the base insinuation. What
did he live upon? His property. Where was his property? He didn't precisely
remember where it was. What was it? No business of anybody's. Had he inherited
it? Yes, he had. From whom? Distant relation. Very distant? Rather. Ever been in
prison? Certainly not. Never in a debtors' prison? Didn't see what that had to
do with it. Never in a debtors' prison? - Come, once again. Never? Yes. How many
times? Two or three times. Not five or six? Perhaps. Of what profession?
Gentleman. Ever been kicked? Might have been. Frequently? No. Ever kicked
down-stairs? Decidedly not; once received a kick on the top of a staircase, and
fell downstairs of his own accord. Kicked on that occasion for cheating at dice?
Something to that effect was said by the intoxicated liar who committed the
assault, but it was not true. Swear it was not true? Positively. Ever live by
