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Mr. Norton was on his feet again, very cool but still stuttering.

"I admit, your Honour, one m-man must r-redress the wrongs of m-many. It-it seems impossible f-for people to act in concert w-without a l-leader. I—I notice the honourable counsel f-for the p-plaintiff d-does not b-bewail the f-f-fate of the original victims who l-lost their m-money to the b-bank, but only the p-people, who will have to r-refund those losses. N-naturally, your Honour, the p-people finally p-pay everything and, I—I must admit, enjoy very l-little. They p-pay the original wrong. T-they p-pay for its b-being redressed. And it will always b-be like that, your Honour, a-as long as l-laws are m-made p-purely to p-protect p-property and n-never to p-protect the p-people. B-but that is a m-matter completely outside of the p-power of this court either to alter or d-destroy. That f-fault l-lies in the warp and w-woof of our s-social fabric. Our nation is a-aristocratic, n-not democratic. Our s-system of l-law was d-designed to p-protect the rights of the f-financiers, the overlords, the no-nobility, the old b-barons. Y-your Honour can never ch-change that. So the defendant asks a v-verdict of one h-hundred and s-sixty thousand, one h-hundred and thirteen d-dollars and eighty-th-three cents, and a w-writ of execution for the s-same."

The audience, the people who were to pay both for the ancient wrong and its present redress, broke into such wild cheering that the constables became busy again.

Mr. Perry Northcutt seemed to be unaware of his surroundings. He was standing up crying, "O God, spare me this cup! Blessed Redeemer, come to my aid! O Lord, save the Irontown Bank!"

Mr. Norton was pulling at the meal sack.

"I would like to file this evidence with the court, your Honour."

The chancellor considered the bag.

"It is such a bulky file, may I ask you to send it to my home address by express?"