"Had Captain Ballantyne altered his position ?" Baram Singh then related that Captain Ballantyne was still sitting in his chair by the bureau, but that the drawer of the bureau was now open, and that on the ground close to Captain Ballantyne's feet there was a red despatch-box.
"The Captain-sahib," he continued, "turned to me with great anger, and drove me again out of the room." "Thank you," said Mr.Travers, and he sat down.
The prosecuting counsel rose at once.
"Now, Baram Singh," he said with severity, "why did you not mention when you were first put in the witness-box that this gentleman was present in the camp that night ?" "I was not asked." "No, that is quite true," he continued, "you were not asked specifically, but you were asked to tell all that you knew." "I did not interfere," replied Baram Singh.

"I answered what questions were asked.

Besides, when the sahib left the camp the Captain-sahib was alive." At this moment Mr.Travers leaned across to the prosecuting counsel and said: "It will all be made clear when Mr.Thresk goes into the box." And once more, as Mr.Travers spoke these words, a rustle of expectancy ran round the court.
Travers opened the case for the defence on the following morning.

He had been originally instructed, he declared, to reserve the defence for the actual trial before the jury, but upon his own urgent advice that plan was not to be followed.

The case which he had to put before the stipendiary must so infallibly prove that Mrs.Ballantyne was free from all complicity in this crime that he felt he would not be doing his duty to her unless he made it public at the first opportunity.