He had absolutely no knowledge of Crozier's origin and past; but he was in a position to find it out if Crozier told the truth on oath, and he was sure he would.
"Where was your domicile in the old country ?" Burlingame asked.
"In County Kerry--with a flat in London." "An estate in County Kerry ?" "A house and two thousand acres." "Is it your property still ?" "It is not." "You sold it ?" "No." "If you did not sell, how is it that you do not own it ?" "It was sold for me--in spite of me." The judge smiled, the people smiled, the jury smiled.

Truly, though a life-history was being exposed with incredible slowness--"like pulling teeth," as the Young Doctor said--it was being touched off with laughter.
"You were in debt ?" "Quite." "How did you get into debt ?" "By spending more than my income." If Askatoon had been proud of its legal talent in the past it had now reason for revising its opinion.

Burlingame was frittering away the effect of his inquiry by elaboration of details.

What he gained by the main startling fact he lost in the details by which the witness scored.
He asked another main question.
"Why did you leave Ireland ?" "To make money." "You couldn't do it there ?" "They were too many for me over there, so I thought I'd come here," slyly answered Crozier, and with a grave face; at which the solemn scene of a prisoner being tried for his life was shaken by a broad smiling, which in some cases became laughter haughtily suppressed by the court attendant.
"Have you made money here ?" "A little--with expectations." "What was your income in Ireland ?" "It began with three thousand pounds--" "Fifteen thousand dollars about ?" "About that--about a lawyer's fee for one whisper to a client less than that.

It began with that and ended with nothing." "Then you escaped ?" "From creditors, lawyers, and other such?
No, I found you here." The judge intervened again almost harshly on the laughter of the court, with the remark that a man was being tried for his life; that ribaldry was out of place; and that, unless the course pursued by the counsel was to discredit the reliability of the character of the witness, the examination was in excess of the privilege of counsel.
"Your honour has rightly apprehended what my purpose is," Burlingame said deprecatingly.