Waiting on a verdict reduces even veteran trial lawyers to anxious ritual.

Evidence

As the second week wore on, Schlichtmann’s mother and Teresa came to sit with him. They and others from the office would gather around and talk among themselves, but Schlichtmann remained silent for long periods, staring off into space. Sometimes he would pace, studying the floor and walking in slow, small steps, the gait of an old man who no longer trusted his balance. Conway watched him once as he did this, walking thirty feet or so in one direction, and then thirty feet back. He would place each foot carefully within a square of the terrazzo floor, and when he made a mistake, when he overstepped a square, he would stop, take a step backward, and repace. After a while, Conway said, “What are you doing, Jan?” — , Harr Jonathan - A Civil Action, 2329

Categorization

• FICTION: The square-by-square terrazzo pacing is a ready-made image of a man whose control has collapsed into superstition.