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Witness for the Prosecution · 1957 — 第 3 / 27 章 · 4'08" · B2

Vole Tries to Hire Sir Wilfrid, Explained：circumstantial evidence

Sir Wilfrid is meant to be resting, and his nurse has banned criminal cases. Mayhew still brings him Leonard Vole, a polite young man suspected of murder. The case is summed up as "Vole seems caught in a web of circumstantial evidence," and the convalescent barrister can't resist. The real question is whether Wilfrid wants justice or just the thrill.

あらすじ

Leonard Vole arrives at Sir Wilfrid's home with his solicitor, Mayhew, hoping the famous barrister will take his case: he is suspected of murdering Emily French, a wealthy middle-aged widow. Sir Wilfrid is recovering from a heart attack and his nurse forbids any stimulating work, but curiosity wins. He agrees to five minutes, lights a cigar, and starts asking about the case.

Asking for helpInvestigationAskingExplainingLawyer & clientB2mediumbritishClean
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注目の表現

younger arteriesa word of advicecircumstantial evidenceline of defence

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  33. ❝ 独白Mayhew lays out the case6 行練習ページ ↗
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このシーンの表現

circumstantial evidence

indirect evidence

Mayhew explains that Vole is caught by circumstantial evidence, clues rather than direct proof.

The case rested on circumstantial evidence rather than a confession.

このシーンの他の表現

  • younger arteries

    someone younger and fitter

  • a word of advice

    a brief piece of advice

  • line of defence

    a defence strategy

  • establishing an alibi

    proving you were elsewhere

  • plead a case

    argue a case in court

このシーンのメモ一覧

64 行のセリフに 28 件のメモ

表現 · B1make an appointment

book a time

I didn't make an appointment, but this is urgent.
発音make an appointment

Link make an, then stress the second syllable of appointment.

I didn't make an appointment, but this is urgent.
表現 · B2all that one can handle

as much as one can manage

If it's about a brief, I'm sorry, but we're full. Sir Wilfrid has all that he can handle.
表現 · B1absolutely not

a firm no

Absolutely not, Mr Mayhew. Sir Wilfrid is still convalescent.
表現 · C1put someone on a diet of something

feed someone only a certain kind

Put me on a diet of bland civil suits. Hello, Mayhew.
表現 · A2you'd better do something

you should

It's tragic. You'd better get a man with younger arteries.
発音get a man with

Get a links, and the t in with almost disappears.

It's tragic. You'd better get a man with younger arteries.
表現 · B2be in a ghastly mess

a terrible situation

- He's in rather a ghastly mess, I'm afraid. - How do you do, Mr Vole?
スラング · B2ghastly

horrible — British informal for dreadful; rare in formal writing.

- He's in rather a ghastly mess, I'm afraid. - How do you do, Mr Vole?
表現 · A2a stray dog

a wandering dog

Like a postman bitten by a stray dog.
表現 · B2give someone a word of advice

a brief piece of advice

He refuses the brief but offers an old friend a word of advice as a small favour.

Surely I can give him a word of advice.
表現 · B1seems ... to me

strikes me as foolish

Seems silly to me, but Mr Mayhew thinks it's very urgent.
表現 · B2be well-off

wealthy

Middle-aged widow, well-off, living with a housekeeper at Hampstead.
スラング · B2well-off

wealthy — A softer, conversational way to say rich.

Middle-aged widow, well-off, living with a housekeeper at Hampstead.
表現 · C1be caught in a web of something

trapped by a network

Vole seems caught in a web of circumstantial evidence.
発音caught in a

Caught in a runs together with a weak in a.

Vole seems caught in a web of circumstantial evidence.
文法 · B2if I gave you the details you'd suggest

second conditional: If plus past tense with would imagines an unlikely present or future.

Perhaps if I gave you the details you'd suggest the strongest line of defence.
表現 · C1be of good character

has a good reputation

No previous convictions. He's of good character with an excellent war record.
表現 · B2establish an alibi

proving you were elsewhere

Mayhew says the defence may turn on establishing an alibi for the night of the murder.

The defence may tum on establishing an alibi for the night of the murder.
スラング · B1Lord, no

good heavens, no — An old-fashioned exclamation of alarm or refusal.

- I haven't got any. Let me get you some. - Lord, no! You don't know Miss Plimsoll.
表現 · C1take all one's cunning

require great cleverness

This will take all our cunning.
表現 · C1enlighten someone on something

explain it to me

Your solicitor and I feel you may be able to enlighten me on an important point.
文法 · B2may be able to

modal plus be able to: May be able to softens can into a polite possibility.

Your solicitor and I feel you may be able to enlighten me on an important point.
表現 · B1make sure that ...

ensure without doubt

Then let's make absolutely sure that she doesn't.
表現 · B2whether or not ...

regardless of whether

Whether or not you murdered a middle-aged widow, you certainly saved the life of an elderly barrister.
文法 · C1Whether or not you murdered a middle-aged widow

concessive clause: The whether or not clause concedes the doubt before the main point.

Whether or not you murdered a middle-aged widow, you certainly saved the life of an elderly barrister.
発音saved the life of

The d in saved drops, and life of links.

Whether or not you murdered a middle-aged widow, you certainly saved the life of an elderly barrister.
表現 · B1it's rather ...

somewhat absurd

Now he thinks he needs a lawyer and now I have two lawyers. It's rather silly.

「Vole Tries to Hire Sir Wilfrid」を読み解く

What's really going on

The scene plays like a job interview in reverse: the client is pleading, the lawyer pretending he isn't interested. The convalescent barrister keeps insisting he is too ill for criminal work — "You'd better get a man with younger arteries" — but every refusal is bait. Mayhew knows exactly what he is doing by mentioning a murder; within minutes Wilfrid has taken over, asking about character, war record, and an alibi, and shooing the nurse off. "Splendid. All the instincts of a skilled criminal" is admiration for a fellow operator, not a verdict on guilt. He offers only "a word of advice," yet he has already lit a cigar and begun building a defence, hiding all of it from Miss Plimsoll.

Theme

JusticeA defence lawyer takes a murder case he is too ill for, choosing the fight over his own rest.
DeceptionThe whole visit is a performance: Wilfrid pretends to refuse while quietly taking the case behind his nurse's back.

このチャプターで学べること

  • He says no to the case while plainly getting hooked.
  • One web image turns scattered clues into a trap.
  • The nurse's nagging undercuts the legal drama.
  • Vole's honesty is what actually wins him a lawyer.

発音のポイント

  • make an appointment — Link make an, then stress the second syllable of appointment.
  • get a man with — Get a links, and the t in with almost disappears.
  • caught in a — Caught in a runs together with a weak in a.
  • saved the life of — The d in saved drops, and life of links.
It's tragic. You'd better get a man with younger arteries.

A dry joke about his own age: he is too old and ill for a murder case, so they should find someone younger and healthier.

Vole seems caught in a web of circumstantial evidence.

There is no direct proof, only scattered clues that together point at Vole and make him hard to defend.

Whether or not you murdered a middle-aged widow, you certainly saved the life of an elderly barrister.

A backhanded compliment: the case may be ugly, but it has pulled the bored, ailing Wilfrid back to life.

Splendid. All the instincts of a skilled criminal.

He is teasing Vole by praising the calm, evasive way he handles questions — an odd compliment for a murder suspect.

このシーンについての質問

Why does Sir Wilfrid take the case after being told to rest?

He is bored and vain, and the nurse's ban makes criminal work irresistible. Mayhew times the visit so the murder case lands just as Wilfrid is craving stimulation.

Who is Emily French?

A wealthy middle-aged widow who lived with a housekeeper in Hampstead. Vole had visited her earlier, and she was found dead from a blow to the back of the head.

What does "circumstantial evidence" mean here?

Proof built from indirect clues — timing, money, opportunity — rather than an eyewitness. Mayhew says Vole is trapped in a web of it.

Is Leonard Vole actually guilty?

The scene deliberately leaves it open. Vole insists he is innocent and has a good war record, but the case rests on circumstance, and later testimony turns the trial upside down.

What is the difference between Mayhew and Sir Wilfrid?

Mayhew is a solicitor, who prepares the case; Sir Wilfrid is a barrister, the only one allowed to plead it in court.

情婦 · 全 27 章

すべて見る →
次のチャプター · 第 4 章in the hands ofLeonard Tells Sir Wilfrid His Story
第 1 章put it in mothballsSir Wilfrid Goes Home第 2 章when her back is turnedSir Wilfrid Hides Cigars in His Cane再生中 · 第 3 章circumstantial evidenceVole Tries to Hire Sir Wilfrid第 4 章in the hands ofLeonard Tells Sir Wilfrid His Story第 5 章not cricketHow Vole Met Mrs French第 6 章a hot potatoLeonard Recounts the Night of the Murder第 7 章with flying coloursInspector Hearne Arrests Leonard第 8 章call it what you likeChristine Vole Meets the Lawyers第 9 章a way with womenChristine and the Green Socks第 10 章worships the ground I walk onChristine Denies She's His Wife第 11 章on the chance thatWilfrid Photographs Vole in Prison第 12 章gave someone ideasLeonard Meets Christine in Hamburg第 13 章clutching at a razor bladeVole Tells How He Married Christine第 14 章to a pointLeonard Vole Pleads Not Guilty第 15 章take someone by surpriseHearne Testifies About the Prints第 16 章account forThe Bloodstained Jacket in Court第 17 章hither and thitherJanet McKenzie Takes the Stand第 18 章a scheming rascalWilfrid Cross-Examines the Housekeeper第 19 章an accomplice toChristine Testifies Against Vole第 20 章a chronic and habitual liarMyers Destroys Christine on the Stand第 21 章shed new light onSir Wilfrid Calls Leonard Vole第 22 章establish an alibiMyers Cross-Examines Leonard Vole第 23 章wild-goose chaseThe Call About the German Wife第 24 章on the slySir Wilfrid Buys the Letters第 25 章a pack of liesSir Wilfrid's Blue Letter Trap第 26 章dispose ofVole Is Found Not Guilty第 27 章call someone namesChristine Reveals Leonard Was Guilty
第 3 / 27 章 · 残り約 84 分