The Great Defender

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Sir Douglas Rolls had earned the reputation of being England's greatest barrister. But he has just been informed by Doctor Hackett, specialist on diseases of the heart, that overwork has taken its toll and if Sir Douglas does not take off for several months he stands a good chance of dying soon. Back in his chambers, a solicitor named Pope was waiting to see him. Pope's firm handled most of the important legal cases. Pope was there to ask Sir Douglas to take up the defense of his client, Leslie Locke. Sir Douglas's mind went back some twenty years when he was struggling for recognition, and he had been in love with a very beautiful girl ---Laura Hyde. Sir Douglas had never spoken of his love, however, because he was very poor, and wanted to be quite certain, before he married, that he would be able to give his wife every luxury. Another admirer of Laura at the time was a well-to-do, volatile and impetuous young artist who, before the plodding Rolls knew what was happening, had swept Laura off her feet and married her. The artist's name was Leslie Locke. Sir Douglas had never gotten over his love for Laura and had never taken any interest in any other woman since, and he and Laura had remained the closest of friends. Pope's client, charged with murder of a model he had been seeing, and going on trial for his life, was the man who had married Rolls' only-love. Sir Douglas, knowing it may kill him, takes the case, and fights with the last of his strength to save the life of the husband of the woman he has always loved. And, possibly, have to implicate Laura in the proceedings.