Arthur & George

report this to the Governor. You’re in serious trouble, D462, I’d better warn you. And you with all your talk about being the last prisoner in the gaol who might want to escape. You with your sainted airs and your library books. We’ve got your number, George Edalji, and it’s D462.
    He stops again. Arthur continues. The second defect of the prosecution’s case lay in whether or not Edalji was meant to have acted alone; they changed their mind as the evidence suited them. Well, at least the officially appointed dunderheads couldn’t miss that. The key question of eyesight.
much stress
has been laid on this in
some of the communications addressed to the Home Office
. Yes indeed: stress laid by the leading men of Harley Street and Manchester Square.
We have carefully considered the report of the eminent expert who examined Edalji in prison and the opinion of oculists that have been laid before us; and the materials now collected appear to us entirely insufficient to establish the alleged impossibility
.
    ‘Imbeciles!
entirely insufficient
. Dunderheads and imbeciles!’
    Jean keeps her head lowered. This was, she remembers, the very starting point of Arthur’s campaign: the reason he did not just think George Edalji was innocent, he knew it. How disrespectful can they be, to treat Arthur’s work and judgement so lightly!
    But he is reading on, rushing ahead as if to forget this point . ‘
In our opinion, the conviction was unsatisfactory and … we cannot agree with the verdict of the jury
. Ha!’
    ‘That means you’ve won, Arthur. They have cleared his name.’
    ‘Ha!’ Arthur does not even acknowledge the interjection. ‘Now listen to this.
Our view of the case means that it would not have been warranted for the Home Office previously to interfere
. Hypocrites. Liars. Wholesale purveyors of whitewash.’
    ‘What does that mean, Arthur?’
    ‘It means, my dearest Jean, that no one has done anything wrong. It means that the great British solution to everything has been applied. Something terrible has happened, but nobody has done anything wrong. It ought to be retrospectively enshrined in the Bill of Rights. Nothing shall be anybody’s fault, and especially not ours.’
    ‘But they admit the verdict was wrong.’
    ‘They said that George was innocent, but the fact that he has enjoyed three years of penal servitude is nobody’s fault. Time after time the defects were pointed out to the Home Office and time after time the Home Office declined to reconsider. Nobody did anything wrong. Hurrah, hurrah.’
    ‘Arthur, calm down a little, please. Take a little brandy and soda or something. You may even smoke your pipe if you wish.’
    ‘Never in front of a lady.’
    ‘Well, I would happily make an exception. But do calm down a little. And then we shall see how they justify such a statement.’
    But George gets there first.
suggestions
…
prerogative of mercy
…
grant of a free pardon
…
On the one hand, we think the conviction ought not to have taken place, for the reasons we have stated
…
total ruin of his professional position and prospects
…
police supervisions
…
difficult if not impossible for him to recover anything like the position he has lost
. George stops at this moment, and takes a drink of water. He knows that
On the one hand
is always followed by
On the other hand
, and is not sure he is able to face what that hand might be.
    ‘
On the other hand
,’ roars Arthur. ‘My God, the Home Office will find as many hands as that Indian god, what’s his name –’
    ‘Shiva, dear.’
    ‘Shiva, when they want to find a reason why nothing is their fault.
On the other hand, being unable to disagree with what we take to be the finding of the jury, that Edalji was the writer of the letters of 1903, we cannot but see that, assuming him to be an innocent man, he has to some extent brought his troubles upon himself
. No, no, no no, NO.’
    ‘Arthur, please. People will think we are having an argument.’
    ‘I’m sorry. It’s just that … aaah,
Appendix One
, yes, yes, petitions, reasons why the Home Office never does anything.
Appendix Two
, let’s see how the Solomon of the Home Office thanks the Committee.
careful and exhaustive report
. Exhaustive! Four whole pages, with not a single mention of Anson or Royden Sharp! Blether …
brought his troubles upon himself
… blether blether …
accept the conclusions
…
however
…
exceptional case
… I’ll say so …
permanent