gentleman,« says he, »be not so pragmatical, and suffer a
man who might be your father (if it was nothing more) to employ his own
imperfect language, and express his own poor thoughts, even when they have the
misfortune not to coincide with Mr. Balfour's. You would have me to believe
Breck innocent. I would think this of little account, the more so as we cannot
catch our man. But the matter of Breck's innocence shoots beyond itself. Once
admitted, it would destroy the whole presumptions of our case against another
and a very different criminal; a man grown old in treason, already twice in arms
against his king, and already twice forgiven; a fomenter of discontent, and
(whoever may have fired the shot) the unmistakable original of the deed in
question. I need not tell you that I mean James Stewart.«
    »And I can just say plainly that the innocence of Alan and of James is what
I am here to declare in private to your lordship, and what I am prepared to
establish at the trial by my testimony,« said I.
    »To which I can only answer by an equal plainness, Mr. Balfour,« said he,
»that (in that case) your testimony will not be called by me, and I desire you
to withhold it altogether.«
    »You are at the head of Justice in this country,« I cried, »and you propose
to me a crime!«
    »I am a man nursing with both hands the interests of this country,« he
replied, »and I press on you a political necessity. Patriotism is not always
moral in the formal sense. You might be glad of it, I think: it is your own
protection; the facts are heavy against you; and if I am still trying to except
you from a very dangerous place, it is in part of course because I am not
insensible to your honesty in coming here; in part because of Pilrig's letter;
but in part, and in chief part, because I regard in this matter my political
duty first and my judicial duty only second. For the same reason - I repeat it
to you in the same frank words - I do not want your testimony.«
    »I desire not to be thought to make a repartee, when I express only the
plain sense of our position,« said I. »But if your lordship has no need of my
testimony, I believe the other side would be extremely blithe to get it.«
    Prestongrange arose and