Chapter 3 of Book I in A Tale of Two Cities
recounts the trial of Charles Darnay for treason. The Attorney-General sets
out the case against Darnay, painting him as a traitor against England. He outlines act
after act which, if true, would certainly condemn Darnay to his death. The first
witness he calls to the stand is John Barsad. Barsad is led through his paces by the
prosecuting attorney, and Barsad conveniently repeats nearly every word and accusation
which has already been spoken.
When the Solicitor-General
cross-examines Barsad, though, some interesting things about his character come to
light. Through a series of seemingly innocuous questions, we discover he has spent time
in debtor's prison, he has cheated at dice and been kicked down the stairs for it, and
he owes money to a fellow prisoner. Each question ledto the next, until each of these
confessions were made. The result, of course, was to discredit Barsad as a
witness.
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