61 
88 THE STORY QE -R^VENOAKS. 
experiment with whicb@g®?esBf US' are farnil- 
iar, has found it easy to make a falsehood 
appear like the truth. The counsel for the 
plaintiff has been pleased to consider the 
establishment or the breaking down of the 
assignment as the practical question at issue. 
I cannot so regard it. The question is, 
whether my client is to be deprived of the 
fruits of long years of enterprise, economy, 
and industry; for it is to be remembered 
that, by the plaintiff’s own showing, the 
defendant was a rich man when he first 
knew him. I deny the profits from the use 
of the plaintiff’s patented inventions, and 
call upon him to prove them. I not only 
call upon him to prove them, but I defy him 
to prove them/ It will take something more 
than superannuated doctors, stolen letters, 
. and the performances of a mountebank to 
do this.” 
This speech, delivered with a sort of fren- 
zied bravado, had a wonderful effect upon 
Mr. Belcher. He straightened in his chair, 
and assumed his old air of self-assurance. 
He could sympathize in any game of “ bluff,” 
and when it came down to a square fight 
for money his old self came back to him. 
During the little speech of Mr. Cavendish, 
Mr. Balfour was writing, and when the 
former sat down, the latter rose, and, 
addressing the Court, said : 
“ I # hold in my hand a written notice, 
calling upon the defendant’s counsel to pro- 
duce in court a little book in the possession 
of his client, entitled, ‘Records of profits 
and investments of profits from manufact- 
ures under the Benedict patents,’ and I 
hereby serve it upon him.” 
Thus saying, he handed the letter to Mr. 
Cavendish, who received and read it. 
Mr. Cavendish consulted his client, and 
then rose and said : 
“ May it please the Court, there is no 
such book in existence.” 
“ I happen to know,” rejoined Mr. Bal- 
four, “ that there is such a book in existence, 
unless it has recently been destroyed. This 
I stand ready to prove by the testimony 
of Helen Dillingham, the sister of the 
plaintiff.” 
“The witness can be called,” said the 
Judge. 
Mrs. Dillingham looked paler than on 
the day before, as she voluntarily lifted her 
vail and advanced to the stand. She had 
dreaded the revelation of her own treachery 
toward the treacherous proprietor, but she 
had sat and heard him peijure himself, until 
her own act, which had been performed on 
ijeliatf of justice, became one of which she 
could hardly be ashamed. 
“ Mrs. Dillingham,” said Mr. Balfour, 
“ have you been on friendly terms with the 
defendant in this case ? ” 
“ I have, sir,” she answered. “ He has 
been a frequent visitor at my house, and I 
have visited his family at his own.” 
“Was he aware that the plaintiff was 
your brother ? ” 
“ He-was not.” 
“ Has he, from the first, made a confidant 
of you?” 
“ In some things — yes.” 
“Do you know Harry Benedict — the 
plaintiff’s son?” 
“ I do, sir.” 
“ How long have you known him ?” 
“ I made his acquaintance soon after he 
came to reside with you, sir, in the city.” 
“ Did you seek his acquaintance ? ” 
“ I did, sir.” 
“ From what motive ? ” 
“ Mr Belcher wished me to do it, in order 
to ascertain of him whether his father were 
living or dead.” 
“You did not then know that the lad 
was your nephew ? ” 
“ I did not, sir.” 
“ Have you ever told Mr. Belcher that 
your brother was alive ? ” 
“ I told him that Paul Benedict was alive, 
at the last interview but one that I ever had 
with him.” 
“ Did he give you at this interview any 
reason for his great anxiety to ascertain the 
facts as to Mr. Benedict’s life or death?” 
“ He did, sir.” 
“ Was there any special occasion for the 
visit you allude to ? ” 
“ I think there was, sir. He had just 
lost heavily in International Mail, and evi- 
dently came in to talk about business. At 
any rate, he did talk about it as he had 
never done before.” 
“ Can you give us the drift or substance 
of his conversation and statements ? ” 
“ Well, sir, he assured me that he had not 
been shaken by his losses — said that he 
kept his manufacturing business entirely 
separate from his speculations, gave me a 
history of the manner in which my brother’s 
inventions had come into his hands, and, 
finally, showed me a little account-book^ in 
which he had recorded his profits from man- 
ufactures under what he called the Benedict 
Patents.” 
“ Did you read this book, Mrs. Dilling- 
ham ? ” 
BOTAN ICAL 
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