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"But the circumstances were surely rather mysterious"

"What circumstances?" asked Mr Jellicoe

"I mean the way in which he vanished from Mr Hurst's house"

"In ay did he vanish from it?"

"Well, of course, I don't know"

"Precisely Neither do I Therefore I can't say whether that as a mysterious one or not"

"It is not even certain that he did leave it," I remarked, rather recklessly

"Exactly," said Mr Jellicoe "And if he did not, he is there still And if he is there still, he has not disappeared--in the sense understood And if he has not disappeared, there is no hed heartily, but Mr Jellicoe preserved a wooden soleh his spectacles (which I, in my turn, inspected and estihly diverting about this grim lawyer, with his dry contentiousness and aled me to ply him with fresh questions, the more indiscreet the better

"I suppose," said I, "that, under these circumstances, you would hardly favour Mr Hurst's proposal to apply for permission to presume death?"

"Under what circu to the doubt you have expressed as to whether John Bellingham is, after all, really dead"

"My dear sir," said he, "I fail to see your point If it were certain that the man was alive, it would be impossible to presume that he was dead; and if it were certain that he was dead, presumption of death would still be impossible You do not presume a certainty The uncertainty is of the essence of the transaction"

"But," I persisted, "if you really believe that he ht that you would take the responsibility of presu his property"

"I don't," said Mr Jellicoe "I take no responsibility I act in accordance with the decision of the Court and have no choice in the matter"

"But the Court may decide that he is dead and he may nevertheless be alive"

"Not at all If the Court decides that he is presumably dead, then he is presumably dead As a mere irrelevant, physical circu, and for testamentary purposes, he is dead You fail to perceive the distinction, no doubt?"

"I am afraid I do," I admitted

"Yes; members of your profession usually do That is what makes them such bad witnesses in a court of law The scientific outlook is radically different froe and observation and judgards testimony A man comes to you and tells you he is blind in one eye Do you accept his stateht with solasses, and you find that he can see perfectly ith both eyes Then you decide that he is not blind in one eye; that is to say, you reject his testi"