“I zay,” suddenly exploded Zahoul—­“dees papaire eet half contemptuous article on ze menkaha zat dees Kasheed Hassoun not kill dees Sardi Babu!”

“He says,” translated Pepperill, “that the newspaper contains an indiscreet article in favor of the defense.  I had no idea there would be any improper attempt to influence the jury.”

“What difference does it make, anyway?” inquired His Honor.  “You don’t expect any juryman is going to read that thing, do you?  Why, it looks as if a bumblebee had fallen into an ink bottle and then had a fit all over the front page.”

“I don’t suppose—­” began Pepperill.

“Go on and get your jury!” admonished the court.

So the lion and the lamb in the shape of Mr. Tutt and Pepperill proceeded to select twelve gentlemen to pass upon the issue who had never been nearer to Syria than the Boardwalk at Atlantic City and who only with the utmost attention could make head or tail of what Mr. Salim Zahoul averred that the witnesses were trying to say.  Moreover, most of the talesmen evinced a profound distrust of their own ability to do justice between the People and the defendant and a curious desire to be relieved from service.  However, at last the dozen had been chosen and sworn, the congestion of the court room slightly relieved, Mr. Zahoul somewhat appeased, and Mr. William Montague Pepperill rose to outline his very simple case to the jury.

There was, he explained, no more difficulty in administering justice in the case of a foreigner than of anyone else.  All were equal in the eyes of the law—­equally presumed to be innocent, equally responsible when proved guilty.  And he would prove Kasheed Hassoun absolutely guilty—­guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, beyond any doubt.  He would produce five—­five reputable witnesses who would swear that Hassoun had murdered Sardi Babu; and he prophesied that he would unhesitatingly demand at the end of the trial such an unequivocal, fearless, honest expression of their collective opinion as would permanently fix Mr. Kasheed Hassoun so that he could do no more harm.  He expressed it more elegantly but that was the gist of it.  He himself was as sincere and honest in his belief in his ability to establish the truth of his claim as he was in the justice of his cause.  Alas, he was far too young to realize that there is a vast difference between knowing the truth and being able to demonstrate what it is!

In proper order he called the photographer who had taken the picture of the restaurant, the draftsman who had made the diagram of the interior, the policeman who had arrested Hassoun, the doctor who had performed the official autopsy upon the unfortunate Babu, and the five Syrians who had been present when the crime was perpetrated.  Each swore by all that was holy that Kasheed Hassoun had done exactly as outlined by Assistant District Attorney Pepperill—­and swore it word for word, verbatim et literatim,