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"But surely that is the rationalto a conclusion?"

"In science, no doubt Not in law A court of lawto the evidence which is before it; and that evidence is of the nature of sworn testimony If a witness is prepared to swear that black is white, and no evidence to the contrary is offered, the evidence before the Court is that black is white, and the Court e and the jury e to the contrary--but they have to decide according to the evidence"

"Do youa decision which he knew privately to be contrary to the facts? Or that he ht sentence a man whom he knew to be innocent?"

"Certainly It has been done There is a case of a judge who sentenced a man to death and allowed the execution to take place, notwithstanding that he--the judge--had actually seen thecorrectness of procedure to the verge of pedantry"

"It ith a vengeance," I agreed "But to return to the case of John Bellingha that after the Court has decided that he is dead he should turn up alive? What then?"

"Ah! It would then be his turn tofresh evidence laid before it, would probably decide that he was alive"

"And meantime his property would have been dispersed?"

"Probably But you will observe that the presus If a man acts in such a way as to create a belief that he is dead, he must put up with the consequences"

"Yes, that is reasonable enough," said I And then, after a pause, I asked: "Is there any i commenced?"

"I understood fro some action of the kind No doubt you had your information from a reliable quarter" This answer Mr Jellicoe delivered withouture-head

I s Mr Jellicoe was rather like the sport of boxing with a porcupine, being chiefly remarkable as a demonstration of the power of passive resistance I determined, however, to make onehis defensiveout of hily "opened out" on the subject of the "remains"