The Queen Against Owen Part 12

'I thought so at the time.'

_'What!'_ The barrister a.s.sumed an expression of amaze.

'I thought so all along.'

'Then why didn't you say so all along? When you were before the magistrates, did you say anything about somebody being hurt?'

'Yes, I think so.'

'You think so! Remember you are on your oath, please, and that I have a copy before me of what you actually did say before the magistrates.

When you were before them, did you say a syllable about a sound as if somebody were being hurt?'

'I don't know whether I did or not.'

'I thought so. Did you tell the magistrate that you thought it was the sound of someone in troubled sleep?' Here the barrister read from his brief.

'Yes, sir.'

'And that you thought'--here he turned over the page at which he was looking and glanced at the top of the next, so as to give the impression that he was still reading her exact words--'that the sound came from Miss Owen's room?'

The witness fell into the trap.

'I dare say I did,' she answered.

The judge was equally taken in. He had read the depositions, but had not remembered their contents clearly enough to check the barrister.

Tressamer went to another point.

Taking out his watch, he said:

'I want to test your notion of ten minutes. Will you turn round, with your back to the clock, and tell me when one minute has pa.s.sed, after I have said the word "Now."'

All the jurymen and most of the other persons in court took out their watches to check this experiment. The girl turned round, and Tressamer gave the word, 'Now!'

'Tick--tick--tick--tick--tick----'

'Now!' said the witness, turning quickly round.

A general smile pa.s.sed over the court.

'Seventeen seconds exactly, my lord,' observed Tressamer. 'The witness's ten minutes may therefore be put down as three. You have told his lords.h.i.+p that the last set of footsteps you heard sounded heavy when they went downstairs. Will you swear that they did not sound equally heavy coming up?'

'I didn't notice.'

'I didn't ask you if you had noticed. Don't try and s.h.i.+rk my question, please. Will you pledge your oath that they weren't equally heavy coming upstairs?'

'No, I won't swear it.'

'Have you any reason, except your dislike of the prisoner, for suggesting that those footsteps were hers?'

The judge interposed.

'Really, Mr. Tressamer, you mustn't put it like that. She says that she didn't dislike the prisoner, and you must take her answer. I allow great lat.i.tude to counsel in your situation, but you must treat the witness fairly.'

'As your lords.h.i.+p pleases.'

Tressamer sat down, rather glad to leave his question unanswered, as the effect thereby produced on the jury's mind would be better than if the witness had had a chance of offering her grounds for suspicion.

'Lucy Griffiths.'

This was the housemaid, and her evidence contained nothing of importance. In cross-examination she admitted that she had detected no likeness between the descending footsteps heard by her and Miss Owen's. In fact, she had at first thought they sounded like a man's.

The next witness was the fisherman, who stated to Mr. Pollard that he had met a female about midnight on the eventful first of June, whom he at the time believed to be the prisoner. He thought so still.

His cross-examination elicited two facts: First, that he had once met Miss Owen at the same late hour before; secondly, that he had met other persons going in the same direction the same night at or about the same time.

Tressamer chose to emphasize this point.

'Could you tell those gentlemen,' he said, indicating the jury, who instantly tried to look as if they had been attending, and had not long ago given up the task in despair, 'what the other people were like whom you saw?'

'Well, one of them was a man.'

'Come, that's something; but it's not much. Can't you tell us what sort of a man? Was he tall?'

The jury instantly looked at Lewis.

'No; I didn't notice as how he was particular tall. Middlin' short, I should say.'

'About my height?'

'Yes; about that. Summat about your size.'

Tressamer laughed, and a smile went round the court at the serious way in which the witness gave his answer.

'Well, who else did you see?'

'I see another man afore then.'

'Ah! Was he tall?'

'Why, yes; I think he was.'

The jury again looked at Lewis. But that gentleman's face revealed no emotion, except a sort of sullen wrath which had overhung it ever since his appearance in the witness-box.

At last, when all the other witnesses had been disposed of, the policeman was called and gave the usual routine evidence.

Mr. Pollard was rash enough to ask him:

'Who came to the station to inform the police?'