Part 10 (1/2)
'You had a good many opportunities of seeing your mistress and Miss Owen together. Did they always seem to you to be on friendly, affectionate terms?'
'Yes, sir, always.'
'Thank you.'
This finished the butler's evidence, as Mr. Pollard wisely abstained from any re-examination.
He next proceeded to call the parlourmaid, Rebecca Rees.
A pretty, vain, pert-looking girl stepped into the box, and took hold of the Testament.
'Take off your glove,' said the clerk.
She did so with some difficulty, as the thing had about half a dozen b.u.t.tons to unfasten. Then she was sworn and proceeded to tell her story.
In a shrill voice, which visibly irritated the judge, she went on, and described how she had gone to bed, how she awoke at midnight and heard a sound proceeding from below.
'What was the nature of the sound?' asked the counsel who was examining her.
'It was a groan,' was the reply, 'like as if somebody was being hurt.'
The prisoner's counsel here hurriedly turned over the pages of his brief till he came to a certain place, where he made a note in the margin.
'What did you hear next?'
'I heard the prisoner going downstairs.'
The Judge: 'What do you mean? Could you see her?'
Witness: 'No, sir. I heard her.'
Mr. Pollard: 'She means she recognised the footsteps, my lord.'
The Judge: 'Don't interrupt me, please.' (_To witness_) 'Young woman, be careful. That is not the way to give evidence, as you know perfectly well. You mustn't tell us that you heard the prisoner. You heard footsteps; that's all.' (_A pause._) 'Now, Mr. Pollard, you can go on.'
Mr. Pollard: 'Did you recognise the footsteps?'
His lords.h.i.+p frowned and shrugged his shoulders.
Witness: 'I thought it was Miss Owen.'
Mr. Pollard: 'Well, now tell us what you did.'
The girl proceeded to describe how she had got up and gone down to the front-door.
'How was it fastened?' was the next question.
'It was on the latch. The bolts were drawn back, and it wasn't locked nor yet chained.'
'Did you see whether the latch was up or down?'