Authors: Muriel Spark
Why
does he go on about the spending? — Ronald sat with the demonic aftermath of
his fit working within him. Why doesn’t he plug away at the forgery, he has my
evidence? Then it occurred to Ronald: He doesn’t believe in my evidence, he
doubts its validity, and this barrister can’t argue a case he doesn’t believe in.
‘You
admit,’ said Martin, ‘that you accepted two thousand pounds from a woman of
middle age?’
And you
deny, thought Ronald, that you are swindling Isobel Billows?
‘You
have said,’ said Martin, ‘in reply to a question, “I prefer to say no more
about my private relationship with Mrs. Flower.”‘
‘That
is correct,’ said Patrick.
‘May I
ask why you are so reticent?’
‘My
lord,’ said Patrick, addressing the judge, ‘if it is not relevant to the case,
I would prefer’
‘I can’t
see why you need go further into that question, Mr. Bowles,’ said the judge.
‘I
submit that it is a relevant question,’ Martin said, ‘since the jury will wish
to know the extent of the influence exerted by the accused upon Mrs. Flower.’
‘Very
well,’ said the judge and rested his head on his hand.
‘I
suggest that your relations with Mrs. Flower were of an intimate nature,’ said
Martin.
‘I deny
it,’ said Patrick with an elaborate air of gallantry.
‘And
that you used these intimate relations to gain an influence over Mrs. Flower?’
And,
thought Ronald, on the strength of these intimate relations you obtained control
of Isobel Billows’ money.
‘I deny
it,’ said Patrick. ‘Mrs. Flower herself has said nothing of our intimate
relations.’
‘And,’
said Martin, ‘you employed this influence to obtain Mrs. Flower’s savings.’
‘I deny
it.’
‘In
your statement to the police of the 12th August you said—” Martin shuffled and
found his document — ‘you said “Early in April Mrs. Flower handed me a cheque
for two thousand pounds for the purpose of purchasing premium bonds and defence
bonds. I was tempted and fell. I did not purchase the bonds. I do not know
where the money has gone.” Now, Mr. Seton,’ said Martin, ‘I put it to you that
this is the true and accurate story.’
‘I deny
it. I was incapable of making a statement. I was in a state of semi-trance, and
was in a condition of high susceptibility to any suggestion whatsoever.’
‘Do you
mean that Detective-Inspector Fergusson hypnotised you?’
For a
moment Patrick seemed to sag. His lower jaw receded.
‘Are
you suggesting that Detective-Inspector Fergusson invented this story?’
‘He put
the words in my mouth.’
‘I did
not hear,’ said the judge, for Patrick’s voice had suddenly failed.
Patrick
looked at Alice and revived. ‘He put the words in my mouth,’ he said out loud.
‘How
did you get to the police station if you were in a state of partial
insensibility?’
‘I was
taken there in a police car. Two policemen called at my rooms immediately after
I had completed a séance.’
‘On the
morning of 12th August?’
‘Yes.’
‘Do you
usually conduct séances in the morning?’
‘This
was a private séance.’
Patrick
was allowed to go. The judge looked at his watch. ‘Is medical evidence to be
called as to the effects of a trance?’ he said.
Patrick’s
counsel said, ‘No, my lord, there appears to be no useful source of medical
opinion devoted to the nature and effects of the spiritualistic trance
specifically.’
Martin
Bowles looked confused. Ronald thought, he has slipped up properly. He should
have brought in a cataleptist to refute them.
The
door from the witness’s room opened and Ronald looked round to see a fellow-graphologist,
sweet old Fairley, emerging. Fairley climbed the steps to the witness box, took
off his glasses and exchanged them for another pair. He read the oath slowly,
and took his usual leisure throughout.
‘So
that, in your opinion,’ said Patrick’s counsel, ‘mere inconsistencies in the
formation of characters which can only be observed under the microscope do not
imply that the characters have been formed by separate hands.’
‘I do
not say so,’ drawled Fairley. ‘That would be too large a generalisation. I say
only that, in my opinion, the inconsistencies between the formation of
characters on the document marked Exhibit B and those on the document marked
Exhibit C, taken together with peculiarities common to Exhibits B and D, do not
necessarily lead to the conclusion that Exhibit B is a forgery.’
The
jury fidgeted.
‘You
are saying,’ said the barrister, ‘that the letter which the Crown alleges to be
a forged document, need not necessarily be so merely on the evidence afforded
by the microscope?’
‘Yes,’
said Fairley.
‘What
is the length of your experience in this field, Mr. Fairley?’
‘Forty-six
years,’ said Fairley.
Martin
got up.
‘The
methods of forgery detection have changed in forty-six years, have they not?’
Martin said.
‘There
have been developments,’ said Fairley.
‘You
changed your spectacles when you came into the witness box. Do you suffer from
any weakness of eyesight?’ Martin said.
It’s a
dirty world, thought Ronald.
‘Yes,’
said Fairley courteously. ‘But I have an excellent optician who provides me with
two pairs of spectacles. One pair is for normal use and the other is for
reading.’
‘And
you changed into your reading glasses in order to stand and give evidence in
court?’
‘I
changed into my reading spectacles in order to read the oath, which I take seriously.’
‘Oh,
quite,’ said Martin. ‘Did you,’ he said, ‘when you were examining the
documents, notice any peculiarities in the formation of the letter “o”?’
‘Yes,’
said Fairley. ‘In Exhibit B the “o” has been started from the top. In Exhibit D
the “o” has been started from the right hand curve.’
‘Does
that not suggest to you that these letters have been formed by different hands?’
‘Not
necessarily. There is always the possibility that the writer was at one moment
in a disposition to start from the top, and at another time disposed to begin
elsewhere.’
‘Do you
agree that there are other inconsistencies similar to those which relate to the
letter “o”?’
‘Yes.’
‘Do you
agree that the peculiar formation of many letters in Exhibit B — the document
which is alleged to be a forgery — coincide with peculiarities of formation in
Exhibit C — the example of the accused’s handwriting?’
‘There
are many similarities but not enough, in my opinion, to permit the inference
that B and C are the work of the same hand.’
‘Did you
observe in the course of your examination of the signature the effect of
trembling in some of the upward strokes?’
‘No,’
said Fairley.
‘You
did not find anything to suggest that the signature had been traced?’
‘No,’
said Fairley.
‘You
are aware that an eminent graphologist, Mr. Ronald Bridges, has submitted that
the effect of trembling in the upward strokes is an indication of tracing.’
‘I was
not present at Mr. Bridges’ evidence. But I agree that an effect of trembling
in handwriting is sometimes due to a process of tracing. Sometimes it is due to
sickness, fear, or old age.’
‘You
agree that forgers commonly trace the signatures on false documents?’
‘Oh,
yes.’
‘You
did not notice an effect of trembling in some of the upward strokes of the
signature on the document alleged to be forged?’
‘No, I
did not observe any effect of trembling.’
‘Did
you look for it?’
‘Oh,
yes, it is part of the routine.’
‘How
does the scientific equipment available to Mr. Bridges compare with that
available to yourself?’
‘We use
the same laboratories and stuff.’
Ronald
saw how vexed Martin was. He had told Martin that Fairley used private
equipment, believing this to be so.
‘But
you did not notice this trembling effect, while Mr. Bridges did?’ Martin said
crossly.
Oh,
shut up, Ronald thought.
‘There
is room for varying opinion as to what is an effect of trembling,’ said Fairley.
‘It
couldn’t be a question of eyesight?’
‘The
documents are greatly enlarged by the microscope,’ Fairley drawled wearily.
‘Thank
you,’ said Martin.
Fairley
smirked slightly at Ronald as he left. Ronald winked. A member of the jury
noticed this and whispered to his neighbour. They are saying, Ronald thought,
that we are in our racket together, regardless of the law. But perhaps that’s
not what they are whispering.
The
door through which Fairley had passed now admitted Father Socket in black suit
and clerical collar, the last witness for the defence. As he was shown up to
the witness box, the main door on Ronald’s right opened, and Elsie came in. She
moved in beside Ronald and started to whisper to him. The attendant policeman
placed a finger to his lips. Ronald pushed his note pad and pencil towards her.
On it she wrote, ‘I’ve come to give evidence against Father Socket.’ Ronald
wrote, ‘You’re too late,’ and pushed it back.
‘Isn’t
Father Socket marvellous?’ whispered Alice.
‘Father
my eye,’ said Matthew.
Father
Socket described himself as a clergyman.
‘Of
what religion?’ said the judge.
‘Of the
spiritualist religion and allied faiths.’
‘Spiritualism
has already this afternoon been described as a science. Is it a science or a
religion?’
‘It is
a scientific religion, my lord, and has been recognised as such by countless
eminent citizens including—”
‘Yes,
quite,’ said the judge, ‘I only want to get our definitions clear so that the
jury can see what it is dealing with. There has been a great deal of mystification
in this case.’
Elsie
was scribbling away on the note pad.
Socket’s
eye was on the jury.
‘You
remember the morning of 12th August?’ said his Counsel. ‘Where were you…?
What were you doing…?’
‘At Mr.
Seton’s rooms… a private séance… he was in a trance, a deep trance. I am,
if I may say so, something of an authority on the conditions of a
spiritualistic trance…. I left Mr. Seton at ten minutes to twelve, he was in
a state of complete exhaustion and insensibility to external surroundings.’
Alice
looked over from the gallery.
‘Elsie’s
going to make trouble,’ she said. ‘What is she writing, down there? She wouldn’t
come and keep me company as a friend, but she’s come to make trouble.’
‘She
should have come up here with you,’ Matthew said, ‘but never mind, you’ve got
me.’
Elsie
folded her note and gave it to the policeman, indicating Martin Bowles.
Father
Socket kept his eye on the jury. The blonde woman looked impressed.
‘As I
left the building after the séance I noticed a police car containing two police
officers draw up outside the front door. This was just after ten minutes to
twelve….’ Socket said.
‘In
your opinion, Mr. Socket,’ said Patrick’s counsel, ‘was it likely that by
twelve noon, less than ten minutes later, Mr. Seton would be in a reasonable
and clear state of mind?’
‘Certainly
not. It is impossible. He would be in a state of semi-trance, perhaps not
discernible at a casual glance, but certainly apparent to anyone attempting to
question him. He would be in a suggestible condition….’
‘We’ve
won the day!’ said Alice.
Martin
was looking at Elsie’s two scribbled pages torn from the note pad.
The
blonde jurywoman spoke to her neighbour.
Patrick’s
barrister sat down. Martin got up.
‘I
suggest,’ said Martin to Socket, ‘that your evidence is a pack of lies from
start to finish.’
The
jury seemed offended. Socket’s white collar gleamed round his throat. It seemed
a tasteless attack.
‘It is
nothing but the truth,’ said Socket, with a look of ministerial reproach.
‘I have
a witness in court,’ said Martin, ‘who is prepared to swear that you were not
with the accused between the hours of ten a.m. and twelve noon on August the
12th.’
‘Mr.
Bowles,’ said the judge, ‘are you wanting to put in additional evidence at this
stage?’
‘I was
about to ask…’
The
judge looked at his watch. Then he looked hard at Socket.