"The case for the prosecution ran like this: Stephen Ballantyne was, though a man of great ability, a secret drunkard who humiliated his wife in public and beat her in private.

She went in terror of him.

She bore on more than one occasion the marks of his violence; and upon that night in Chitipur, perhaps in a panic and very likely under extreme provocation, she snatched up her rook-rifle and put an end to the whole bad business." "Yes," Thresk agreed, "that was the case for the Crown." "Yes, and throughout the sitting at the Stipendiary's inquiry before you came upon the scene that theory was clearly developed." "Yes." Thresk's confidence vanished as quickly as it had come.

He realised whither Pettifer's questions were leading.

There was a definitely weak link in his story and Pettifer had noticed it and was testing it.
"Now," the solicitor continued--"and this is the important point--what was the answer to that charge foreshadowed by the defence during those days before you appeared ?" Thresk answered the question quickly, if answer it could be called.
"The defence had not formulated any answer.