But the facetious barrister was bringing his speech to a close, with a brilliant little joke that eclipsed all the preceding ones and set the audience in a roar.  And when the laughter had subsided, he finally ended by expressing a hope that the court would not so seriously disappoint and so cruelly wrong the defendant as by giving a decision in her favor.

CHAPTER LVII.

THE YOUNG CHAMPION.

  Then uprose Gismond; and she knew
    That she was saved. Some never met
  His face before; but at first view
    They felt quite sure that God had set
  Himself to Satan; who could spend
    A minute’s mistrust on the end?

  This pleased her most, that she enjoyed
    The heart of her joy, with her content
  In watching Gismond, unalloyed
    By any doubt of the event;
  God took that on him—­she was bid
    Watch Gismond for her part!  She did.

  —­Browning.

Ishmael waited a few minutes for the excitement produced by the last address to subside—­the last address that in its qualities and effects had resembled champagne—­sparkling but transient, effervescent but evanescent.  And when order had been restored Ishmael arose amid a profound silence to make his maiden speech, for the few opening remarks he had made in initiating the defense could scarcely be called a speech.  Once more then all eyes were fixed upon him in expectancy.  And, as before, he was undisturbed by these regards because he was unconscious of them; and he was calm because he was not thinking of himself or of the figure he was making, but of his client and her cause.  He did not care to impress the crowd, he only wished to affect the court.  So little did he think of the spectators in the room, that he did not observe that Judge Merlin, Claudia, and Beatrice were among them, seated in a distant corner—­Judge Merlin and Claudia were watching him with curiosity, and Bee with the most affectionate anxiety.  His attention was confined to the judges, the counsel, his client, and the memoranda in his hand.  He had a strong confidence in the justice of his cause; perfect faith in the providence of God; and sanguine hopes of success.

True, he had arrayed against him an almost overpowering force:  the husband of his client, and the three great guns of the bar—­Wiseman, Berners, and Vivian, with law, custom, and precedent.  But with him stood the angels of Justice and Mercy, invisible, but mighty; and, over all, the Omnipotent God, unseen, but all-seeing!

Ishmael possessed the minor advantages of youth, manly beauty, a commanding presence, a gracious smile, and a sweet, deep, sonorous voice.  He was besides a new orator among them, with a fresh original style.

He was no paid attorney; it was not his pocket that was interested, but his sympathies; his whole heart and soul were in the cause that he had embraced, and he brought to bear upon it all the genius of his powerful mind.