Give him five minutes' speech, and it may be worth a
thousand pounds to you--well, not to you, if you will, but to his
children. And again, Madam, 'tis of the utmost importance that
he should be able to state who was the villain who struck
him--Charles--a--Charles--Mr. Nutter--you know, Madam.'
'Oh! that dreadful--dreadful man--may Heaven forgive him. Oh, my Barney!
look at him there--he'd forgive him if he could speak. You would, my
blessed Barney--you would.'
'To be sure he would. But see, Ma'am, the importance of having his
evidence to settle the fact. Well, I know that he would not like to hang
anybody. But suppose, Ma'am, Charles Nutter is innocent, don't you think
he'd like to acquit him? ay, you do. Well, Ma'am, 'tis due to the
public, you see, and to his children that he should have a chance of
recovering his speech, and to common humanity that he should have a
chance for his _life_--eh? and _neither_ will the doctors who have him
in hands allow him. Now, Madam, there's a simple operation, called
trepanning, you have heard of it, which would afford him such a chance,
but fearing its failure they won't try it, although they allege that
without it _he must die_, d'ye see?--ay, _die he must_, without a cast
for his life if you won't try it.
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