"And what time did the gentlemen rise from table?" "They didn't rise from table. When dinner was over, Mr. Mallett decanted some very special port that he has in the wine-cellar, and they settled down to it round the dinner-table, talking." "I see. Did you hear any of the conversation?" "No, I didn't. I carried two decanters of the port into the dining-room for Mr. Mallett, and got out port glasses from the sideboard, and after that I never went into the room again." "Until what hour did Mr. Mallett's guests remain with him?" "Well, Alderman Crood and Mr. Krevin Crood left at about a quarter to eleven. They went away together. Mr. Coppinger stopped till about half-past eleven." Meeking paused at this point, put his hand underneath the papers which lay in front of him and produced a cardboard box. From this, after slowly undoing various wrappings, he took the fragment of stained and charred handkerchief which had been found in the Mayor's Parlour, and passed it across to the witness. "Take that in your hand and look at it carefully," he said. "Now, do you recognize that as part of the handkerchief to which I have been referring?" "It's the same sort of stuff," replied Louisa. "I should say it was part of that handkerchief. It's just like it." "Same material?--an unusual material?" "I think it is the same handkerchief. It's an unusually broad hem--I noticed that at the time." "To the best of your belief is that the handkerchief you've been talking about?" "Yes," declared Louisa Speck, this time without hesitation. "It is!" Meeking sat down and glanced at Simon Crood's solicitor. Stedman accepted the challenge and, rising, threw some scornful meaning into his first question to the witness. "Who got you to tell all this tale?" he asked satirically. "Who got at you?" Louisa Speck bridled. "Nobody got at me!" she retorted. "What do you mean by such a question?" "You don't mean to tell their Worships that you haven't been induced to come forward and tell all this?" suggested Stedman incredulously. "Come, now! Who helped you to refresh your memory, and to put all this together?" "Nobody helped me," replied Louisa Speck, with rising indignation. "Do you think I'm not capable of doing things on my own? I can use my eyes and ears as well as you can--and perhaps better!" "Answer my question!" said Stedman, as a laugh rose against him. "Who got you to go to the police?" "Nobody got me to go to the police! I went to the police on my own account. I read the newspaper about what took place at the inquest--the last inquest, I mean--and as soon as I heard about the handkerchief, I knew very well that that was the one I'd noticed in our laundry, and so I went to see Mr. Hawthwaite. Mr. Hawthwaite's known what I had to tell you for a good while now." Stedman was taken aback. But he put a definite question. "On your oath, did you see that handkerchief in Mr. Krevin Crood's possession that night he was at Mr. Mallett's?" he asked.