Yet Mr. Tutt did not lose any of his equanimity.  With the tips of his long fingers held lightly together in front of him, and swaying slightly backward and forward upon the balls of his feet, he smiled benignly down upon the customer and the barber’s assistant as if these witnesses were merely unfortunate in not being able to disclose to the jury all the facts.  His manner indicated that a mysterious and untold tragedy lay behind what they had heard, a tragedy pregnant with primordial vital passions, involving the most sacred of human relationships, which when known would rouse the spirit of chivalry of the entire panel.

On cross-examination the barber testified that Angelo had said:  “You maka small of my wife long enough!”

“Ah!” murmured Mr. Tutt, waving an arm in the direction of Rosalina.  Did the witness recognize the defendant’s young wife?  The jury showed interest and examined the sobbing Rosalina with approval.  Yes, the witness recognized her.  Did the witness know to what incident or incidents the defendant had referred by his remark—­what the deceased Crocedoro had done to Rosalina—­if anything?  No, the witness did not.  Mr. Tutt looked significantly at the row of faces in the jury box.

Then leaning forward he asked significantly:  “Did you see Crocedoro threaten the defendant with his razor?”

“I object!” shouted O’Brien, springing to his feet.  “The question is improper.  There is no suggestion that Crocedoro did anything.  The defendant can testify to that if he wants to!”

“Oh, let him answer!” drawled the judge.

“No—­” began the witness.

“Ah!” cried Mr. Tutt.  “You did not see Crocedoro threaten the defendant with his razor!  That will do!”

But forewarned by this trifling experience, Mr. O’Brien induced the customer, the next witness, to swear that Crocedoro had not in fact made any move whatever with his razor toward Angelo, who had deliberately raised his pistol and shot him.

Mr. Tutt rose to the cross-examination with the same urbanity as before.  Where was the witness standing?  The witness said he wasn’t standing.  Well, where was he sitting, then?  In the chair.

“Ah!” exclaimed Mr. Tutt triumphantly.  “Then you had your back to the shooting!”

In a moment O’Brien had the witness practically rescued by the explanation that he had seen the whole thing in the glass in front of him.  The firm of Tutt & Tutt uttered in chorus a groan of outraged incredulity.  Several jurymen were seen to wrinkle their foreheads in meditation.  Mr. Tutt had sown a tiny—­infinitesimally tiny, to be sure—­seed of doubt, not as to the killing at all but as to the complete veracity of the witness.

And then O’Brien made his coup.

“Rosalina Serafino—­take the witness stand!” he ordered.

He would get from her own lips the admission that she bought the pistol and gave it to Angelo!