— — —After all the prolonged tension of waiting, judgement was pronounced by the thin, bald magistrate blinking through the fog.
“To my mind,” said Mr. Gunner gravely, “it has been conclusively shown that Mr. Morl, who stands accused of this crime, was not the companion of the murdered woman on Christmas Eve.”
He paused as if to allow the breath of suspense and relief time to rise and fall, as if to give the prisoner time to compose himself after this shock of an acquittal.
Everyone was looking at Maarten Morl. He had not changed his demeanour in the least. “Perhaps,” some thought, “he has not quite understood what the magistrate has said.”
Mr. Clinner continued:
“The evidence of the witnesses for the prosecution at first undoubtedly pointed to Mr. Morl as having been in the company o
