The group near the fireplace was almost exclusively lawyers or people connected with the law.Mr. Martindale, Mr. Lewis Lord, Counsel to the Crown, Little Daniels of "Castdales" fame, and some other lawyers by profession - Mr. Justice Cleaver, " Mr. Louis, of Louis Transnage & Co., and Mr. Quvis Sr.Mr. Travis is in his late eighties, a very mature and experienced eighty.He was a member of a well-known law firm, the most famous veteran of that firm.He has solved countless difficult and delicate cases, he is said to know the "mysterious reasons" best in England, and he is an expert in criminology.

Foolish people say that Mr Traves should write a memoir.Mr. Travis didn't think so.He knows he knows too much. Although he has long been semi-retired and is no longer as active as he used to be, there is no one in England whose opinion is held as seriously by his peers.Whenever his clear, feeble voice was raised, everyone present always shut their mouths respectfully and listened attentively. The subject of the previous conversation was a much-discussed case that was settled at London's Central Criminal Court that day.It was a murder case and the detained defendant was released.A group of them are busy trying to reverse the case and put forward their own opinions.

The plaintiff made the mistake of "relying on a witness" - Diplech Sr. should have understood that he was giving the defendant an opportunity.Young Arthur made great use of the maid's testimony.Bantmore performed well in summing up, turning the case in the right direction, but it was too late, and he was defeated after all-the jury accepted the testimony of the maid.Juries are wonderful—you never know what they're going to believe—but once you get something in their head, there's nothing anyone can do to change their mind.They believed the girl's story about the sledge to be true, and no one let them off.They don't listen to medical testimony.All that long scientific jargon - those science guys are fucking bad witnesses - always whimpering and not being able to answer straight up "yes" or "no" - always saying "in That might happen under certain circumstances”—wait for that kind of mother-in-law!

Everyone expressed their opinions bit by bit. When the conversation became intermittent and there was no agreement, they all felt as if something was missing, and their faces began to turn to Quvis. Sir, because Mr. Traves has not spoken yet.Their feeling was gradually becoming clear, and it was obvious that the whole group was waiting for the final sage speech of their most respected colleagues. Mr. Travis sat back in his chair, absently polishing his glasses.The momentary silence in the room caused him to raise his head suddenly. "Huh?" he said. "What? Did you ask me anything?"

Lewis said: "We're talking about the Lemony case, sir." "Well," said Mr. Traves, "I was thinking." There was silence. "But," said Mr. Traves, still wiping his spectacles, "I'm afraid it's unrealistic, purely dreamy. I think it's the result of old age. A man of my age has the privilege of being unrealistic." of." "Yes, that's true, sir." Louis said in his mouth, but there was a puzzled look on his face. "What I'm thinking," said Mr. Traves, "is not much to do with the legal point of view—although the various legal points raised in this case are interesting—very interesting—if the jury's verdict is guilty, There's plenty of room for appeal, I kind of think so--but I'm not going to talk about that now. As I said, I'm not thinking about the law but about--well, the people in the case."

Everyone looked a little surprised.They are all concerned with their credibility as witnesses and so on when considering the persons involved.No one even ever wondered whether the suspects in custody were really guilty or innocent as the courts declared. "Human beings, you know," said Mr. Travis thoughtfully, "human beings of all kinds and varieties. Some with brains, and many without. They come from all over, Lancashire, Scotland— — the restaurateur was from Italy and the woman who taught was from somewhere in the Middle East. They all got caught up in that thing and they all ended up being brought into a court in London on a gray November day. Everyone All played a small role. The culmination of the matter was the murder trial."

He paused, tapping his knee delicately. "I love a good detective story," he said, "but, you know, they start wrong! The beginning is murder. But murder is the end. The story begins long before that—sometimes years Before--all those causes and events that bring certain people together in one place at a certain time on a certain day. In the testimony of the little maid--if the kitchen maid had not snatched her boyfriend, She will not leave angrily and join the Lemoni family to become the main witness for the defendant. That Qiu Subi Anthony - went to help his brother for a month. His brother is confused and absolutely can't see From what Qiu Sebi saw through his shrewd eyes. If the inspector hadn't been interested in the female cook of the family at No. 48, he wouldn't have patrolled so late..."

He nodded slightly. "Everything converges on one spot... and then, when the time comes - charge! The 'zero hour' is here, the attack is launched. Yes, they are all gathered together like a group of warriors, waiting for the 'zero hour' when the attack begins '..." He repeated: "Waiting for the 'zero hour' when the attack was launched..." Then he shivered slightly and quickly. "You are chilled, sir, and come nearer to the fire," "No, no," said Mr. Travis. "It just feels like someone is walking over my grave. Well, I should go home."

He nodded kindly and walked out slowly. There was a strange silence in the room, and then Lewis Lord, Counsel to the Royal Counsel, said, Poor old Quvis is really getting old, William.Sir Cleaver said: "A sharp mind - a very sharp mind - but it's old age that doesn't work." "And the heart is weak," Rhodes said, "I think I may fall to the ground at any time." "He took great care of himself," Lewis said. At this moment Mr. Travis was stepping carefully into his stable and expensive Danley.The driver escorted him back to his home in a quiet area, where a helpful valet helped him remove his coat.Mr. Travis went into the study, where the fire was burning brightly in the charcoal stove.His bedroom was at the back of the study, and he never climbed the stairs for his heart's sake.

He sat down before the fire and read his letters. His mind is still on what he said at the club. "Even now," said Mr. Travis to himself, "some drama—some imminent murder—is brewing. If I were to write a bloody crime novel, I would start with an elderly gentleman Opening letters in front of the fire and starting to write—he unconsciously approached zero hour step by step—zero hour..." He opened a letter and looked at it absently. Suddenly his expression changed.He came back to reality from his dream. "My God," said Mr. Travis, "very disturbing! Really, very disturbing. After all these years! It's going to change all my plans."