Manalive

In part one of this fantastic novel we encountered Innocent Smith through his unusual actions in the lodging house Beacon Hill. In part two, the setting is a trial before 'the High Court of Beacon', consisting of the lodgers and some friends, in which Smith is accused of murder, burglary, desertion and bigamy. The accused never opens his mouth during the procedures; approximately all evidence consists of letters concerning his behavior in the past.
The letters the prosecution produces describe various instants of Smith firing at close range at persons, or eloping with maidens, or other discreditable actions. The interesting point is that there are other testimonies, produces by the defense, which do not disprove what the prosecution states, but merely shines a new light on them. The defense states that Smith 'has broken the conventions, but he has kept the commandments'.
I'll take one example, the case of murder. Smith actually did not commit murder, he merely shot and missed at close range. His reasons to carry this gun are similar to Chesterton's own reasons: if someone professes to be tired of life, one can offer to help him end it.

“I am going to hold a pistol to the head of the Modern Man. But I shall not use it to kill him–only to bring him to life.”

Because so much of the second part consists of letters, I sometimes lost the flow of the arguments. The letters themselves are interesting though, because they so clearly show the (sometimes limited) standpoint of the writer. Overall, I really liked this book and can definitely recommend it.