"No," said Peter.

"Well, every man in that jury was probably a father, and that child's
talk took right hold of them. Not but that your speech would have done
the business. You were mighty clever in just telling what you saw, and
not going into the testimony. You could safely trust the judge to do
that. It was a great speech."

"Thank you," said Peter.

"He's not to be taffied," thought the lawyer. "Plain talking's the way
to deal with him." He ended his allusions to the trial, and said: "Now,
Mr. Stirling, Mr. Bohlmann doesn't want to have these civil suits go any
further. Mr. Bohlmann's a man of respectability, with a nice wife and
some daughters. The newspapers are giving him quite enough music without
your dragging him into court."

"It's the only way I can reach him," said Peter.

"But you mustn't want to reach him. He's really a well-meaning man, and
if you ask your clergyman--for I believe you go to Dr. Purple's
church?--you'll find he's very charitable and generous with his money."

Peter smiled curiously. "Distributing money made that way is not much of
a charity."

"He didn't know," said the lawyer. Then catching a look which came into
Peter's face, he instantly added, "at least, he had no idea it was that
bad. He tells me that he hadn't been inside those cow-sheds for four
years."