But John Caldigate himself, though he took great comfort in the society of the clergyman, did in truth rely rather on the opinion of the lawyer.
The old squire never doubted his son for a moment, and in his intercourse with Hester showed her all the tenderness and trust of a loving parent.

But he, too, manifestly feared the verdict of a jury.
According to him, things in the world around him generally were very bad.

What was to be expected from an ordinary jury such as Cambridgeshire would supply but prejudice, thick-headed stupidity, or at the best a strict obedience to the dictum of a judge.

'It is a case,' he said, 'in which no jury about here will have sense enough to understand and weigh the facts.

There will be on one side the evidence of four people, all swearing the same thing.