american tragedy

Chapter 121 (2)
Chapter 315 (2)
"Very well. From her letter, I am sure you are right. We must get all the facts out, and it would be quite different if there were any other people."

Hearing this, Clyde still didn't understand whether it implied that the idea was worthwhile, but in any case he didn't think it should be.At the same time he thought: I wish he could find a real defense for me! He seemed competent.

"Okay." Jefferson's tone was still very cold, as if he was looking for loopholes.Clyde felt that he had no emotion at all.

"One more thing I want to ask. Since you've known her, has she ever written you a sarcastic or threatening letter?"

"No, I don't think she wrote it, it's true, sir. Except for the last letters . . . the last one."

"You never wrote to her, did you?"

"No, I never wrote."

"Why not write?"

"You know, she was in a factory with me. Then she went home, and I didn't dare to write."

"That's right!"

What Clyde said was true.In fact Roberta is sometimes not as submissive as she usually is, but resolute and even stubborn.He told her repeatedly that forcing him to marry in this way would ruin his future and everything, but she didn't pay attention at all, and she didn't even agree to him saying that he would work and support her at the same time.According to Clyde, her attitude was the beginning of all bad luck, and Miss Finchley (his tone became adoring and excited about her, Jefferson noticed at once), would do anything for him .

"So you love Miss Finchley very much?"

"Yes, sir."

"Since you met her, Miss Roberta has not been on your mind, has she?"

"Yes, yes. It cannot be helped."

"I see." Jefferson nodded emphatically, thinking that if the jury knew that, it would do more harm than good.

It occurred to him afterwards that perhaps the best course of action would be to follow Belknap's earlier suggestion, and to infer that he was insane, or that his brain had suddenly gone awry, and that it was very dangerous to fantasize about his situation, in accordance with the usual legal procedures of the time.

"You said the last day you were on the boat with her, you didn't feel right, you hit her and you didn't know what you were doing, did you?"

"Yes, that was indeed the case." So Clyde repeated the scene at that time.

"Okay, I believe you." Jefferson said, he seemed to believe what Clyde said, but he couldn't understand it at all. "But you know, no jury wants to believe it, when compared with other evidence. There are many things that need to be explained, and we can't explain them now." He turned to Bennap. "About the two hats, That suitcase . .

"No, I've never heard of it."

"And no uncles, cousins, or grandfathers, ever had a sudden mental illness, or behaved erratically, or anything like that?"

"I've never heard of it, sir."

"Would your rich relatives of Lycurgus be offended if I made such a claim?"

"I think they must be very upset." Clyde thought of Gilbert.

"In that case," said Jefferson, after a moment's thought, "it will be difficult. But there is no better way." Returning to Belknap, he asked what he thought of suicide.Since Roberta's letters were somber and melancholy, it was reasonable to lead to suicide.Can it be said that when she and Clyde were on the lake, she asked him to marry him, but he refused, and she jumped into the water.He was petrified and confused, and it didn't occur to him to save her.

"However, he admits that the wind blew his hat off, and the boat capsized when he went to fish it?" said Belknap, who seemed to ignore Clyde.

"That's right. Of course, we can also say: He should be morally responsible for her ending, and her suicide stemmed from her experience, so he concealed the truth about her suicide. Is that okay?"

Clyde flinched, but neither of them noticed.They acted as if he wasn't around, or they didn't have any opinion on the matter.All this baffled him, but he made no objection, for he could not think of a solution himself.

"But, the registration under a false name, the two hats, the suit, and his suitcase!" Belknap was a little incoherent, but still insisted on what he had seen.His tone made Clyde feel that he was in a very dangerous situation.

"No matter what we say, these things have to be explained." Jefferson hesitated. "If we admit that his plan is real, we have to say that he is insane, which I think it is. Otherwise, No matter what we do, the evidence will have to be dealt with hard." He spread his hands, weakly expressing that he didn't know what to do. "But in these circumstances, and, as she said in her letter, he promised and then backed out. It would do him no good, but only make others prejudice against him. No, it is not feasible." Belknap Concluded, "We have to find another way to make people feel sympathetic to him."

Jefferson turned to look at Clyde again, as if the discussion just now hadn't happened.His eyes seemed to say, "You're such a nuisance." Then he added: "That suit of yours by the lake near the Cranston house... tell me as precisely as you can where you threw it. From How far is that house?" After a while, Clyde repeated the time and place he remembered one after another.

"If I go there, I'll find it right away."

"Yeah, but you couldn't have gone there without Mason, and you couldn't have gone with Mason. You're in jail now, and you can't get out without a government permit. But we've got to get the suit." Then, He whispered to Belknap: "We get it, wash it, and take it out as he washed it, instead of hiding it, you understand?"

"Oh." Belknap was a little lazy.Clyde stood aside, marveling at the lies that were being planned openly for him.

"The camera that fell to the bottom of the lake must also be obtained. Maybe Mason also knows about this thing and suspects that it is at the bottom of the lake. Anyway, we must get it first, which is very important. Do you think the place where the boat capsized that day is near the pole? "

"Yes."

"Well, we've got to figure something out," he said to Belknap. "We try not to mention it in court, because if they don't get a camera, they'll say he used a tripod or something. Something hit her. That's how we got their loophole."

"you are right."

"I haven't seen the suitcase Mason got, but I'll see to-morrow. Did you put your wet clothes in the suitcase when you swam ashore?"

"No, I wrung it out as best I could, then wrapped it in the brown paper I used to pack my lunch snacks in, and put it in the suitcase, with some dried pine needles sprinkled on and under it."

"As you know, did you get wet marks in the suitcase when you took that dress out?"

"I don't think so, sir."

"Are you quite sure?"

"If you ask me like that, I can't be absolutely sure...not quite sure, sir."

"Well, I'll go see it myself tomorrow. You haven't admitted the scar on her face yet, have you?"

"not yet."

"The bruise on her head, as you said, was hit by a boat, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"If it's any other scar, do you think it was your camera?"

"Yes, I think it might be possible."

"This is an opportunity, I say," said Jefferson to Belknap, "and I see that we can then deny that Clyde did the scars, but got hit by hooks and poles while trying to salvage them. Besides, even if it wasn't for the hook and pole, it's certainly quite possible that she'd get some bruises when her body was transported from the lake to the station, and from there to here."

"You're right. If Mason wants to prove that the scar didn't come from this way, it won't be that easy." Belknap said.

"About the tripod, we can get the body out, measure it ourselves, and then measure the side of the boat. It won't be so easy for Mason to use the tripod."

Jefferson's eyes looked small when he spoke, but they were bright blue.Clyde watched and listened to all this respectfully, he felt that this man younger than him might be his savior.He is shrewd and capable, pays attention to reality, straightforward, calm and calm, giving people sufficient confidence.He is like a self-powered generator.Then the two men were going to go, and Clyde felt bad because he felt safer and had a better chance of regaining his freedom with them with him, planning everything for him.

(End of this chapter)