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The chosen one couldn’t have appeared at first glance to be a less likely leader, even of this disparate group He must have been around sixty, and not an inch over five foot four, bald and wearing a three-piece suit, white shirt, and a striped tie that Giles guessed represented his club or his old school You would have passed hi him a first look But the moment he opened his mouth, everyone understood why he had been selected He spoke with a quiet authority, and Giles wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that he was a solicitor, a schoolmaster, or even a senior civil servant

“Mr Fore forward, “have you reached a verdict on which you are all agreed?”

“No, my lady,” he replied in a calht to inforht advise us e should do next”

“I will certainly try,” said Mrs Justice Lane, as if she was dealing with a trusted colleague

“We have taken the vote a nuht-to-four deadlock We were not certain if there was any purpose in us continuing”

“I wouldn’t want you to give up at this early stage,” said the judge “Considerable time, effort, and expense has been invested in this trial, and the least any of us can do is to be absolutely sure we have ht help, I would be willing to accept aless will be acceptable”

“Then ill try again, my lady,” said the foreman and, without another word, he led his little band back out of the court, with the bailiff bringing up the rear of an exclusive club that no one else would be invited to join

Once the door had closed behind thee had made her exit

“Who’s got eight, and who’s got four?” was Virginia’s first question

“You have the eight,” said Sir Edward, “and I can identify almost every one of them”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Two reasons While the foree, I keptat you Juries, in my experience, don’t look at the loser”

“And the other reason?”

“Take a look at Trelford and you’ll see an unhappy man, because he will have carried out the same exercise”

“Who got the majority?” asked Giles