“He understands!... For my part, I am all for keeping to a proper procedure... I wouldn’t have agreed to sit in judgment on him if he had been unable to defend himself... We don’t act that way down here!”

Turning to his acolytes for signs of their approval, he continued:

“Beard! The word is with you! Let us hear why he has been brought up to judgment!... Tell us what he is accused of!... Bring up all there is against him!” Beard, who was marching up and down between the hooligan tribunal and the accused – who was half dead, and incapable of making a rational statement – Beard stopped, squared himself with an air of satisfaction, and began his speech for the prosecution.

“Jules, has anyone ever done you any harm here?

Has anyone played cowardly tricks on you? Set traps to catch you in? Have you ever been cheated out of your fair share of the spoil? Is there anything, in short, you can bring up against us?... No!... Well, here’s what we have against you... it’s not worthwhile lying about it either!... You are the one who has blubbed and blissed, and taken the wind out of our sails over the Danidoff affair... do you confess that?” In a barely intelligible voice, Jules gasped out:

“Beard... I don’t understand you!... I have done nothing – nothing... What have you against me?” Beard took his time.

Planted before the prisoner, with hip stuck out and hand in pocket, the other hand raised in tragic invocation towards his comrades:

“You have heard? Monsieur does not understand!...

Clearly, he has not the pluck to be open and above-board!” Turning again to the wretched captive, he continued:

“Well, I’m going to explain... it was you, wasn’t it, who had to put through the robbery of the lady’s jewels?...

Well, do you know what you did? Do you want me to tell you?... Instead of lending us a hand as was promised and sworn, you kept the cake for yourself!... In other words, you, and some of your sort, serving at the ball, put your heads together, shut up the lady in the room they found her in; and, that way, you got out of sharing with us!... so we have been done in the eye over that deal!... The proof that you have comrades we know nothing about is, that yesterday when you were done in, they found a way to get you out of the meat wagon!... it wasn’t us!... But, to return to the Danidoff carve-up... oh, you must have laughed then!... But everyone has his turn... you are going to laugh on the wrong side of your mouth now!... Do you know what they call it – what you’ve done – dared to do?”

In the same strangled voice, Jules managed to get out the words.

“But it’s not true!... I swear to you...” Beard did not listen.