Brunton paused to study his brief; and in that pause it came home to Ronnie that the whole atmosphere of the court was hostile. The domed place seemed charged with psychical electricity. He could actually feel the currents of fear and prejudice tingling between the motionless jury and the motionless figure in the dock. Looking at his client, he saw that her lips moved, as though in dumb, unavailing protest. "And these visits"--the "hanging prosecutor" did not even look up from his brief,--"were they paid by night or by day?" "She was alwus going to 'im." "By night as well as by day?" "Yuss. By night as well as by day." "What time of the night?" "All hours of the night." "You're certain on that point?" Now Brunton looked at his witness. "Yuss, certain." "Then can you give us any particular date on which you actually saw the accused woman go into Bob Fielding's room late at night?" "She went there about half-past nine on the night of July 4th." "And did you see her come out?" "Nah. She hadn't come out by the time I went to bed." "The night before the murder. Thank you, Mrs. Peterson." Brunton smiled grimly. "And now, just one more question. Has the accused ever spoken to you about her husband?" "Yuss." "When was the last time she spoke to you about him?" "On the Sunday." "What Sunday?" "The Sunday"--Maggie Peterson's voice shrilled--"before she shot 'im." "Please tell his lordship and the jury, to the best of your recollection, what she said to you." The hard eyes of the woman in the witness-box turned to the woman in the dock. For a full second they looked at one another; and Ronnie, watching, saw that it was Maggie Peterson who first turned away. "Tell his lordship and the jury," prompted Brunton. "Well"--a fraction of its certainty had gone out of the shrill voice,--"it was like this. We meets in the passage, and she says to me: 'Bill ain't fit to be no woman's 'usband. I wish to Gawd 'e was dead. I shan't never know a moment's 'appiness till he _is_ dead.'" "And had the accused previously made, in your presence, similar statements?" "Yuss. Time and again." "Thank you. That will be all." Hector Brunton sat down; but before Ronnie could rise to cross-examine, the judge had intervened. "You say," said the judge, referring to his notes, "that on the night before the crime was committed, at about half-past nine o'clock, you saw the accused go into Robert Fielding's room. Was she--to your personal knowledge--in the habit of making such visits?" "Yuss, m'lord." "You're prepared to swear that?" "Yuss, m'lord." "Very well." Deliberately, Mr. Justice Heber wrote down the answer. "Now, on the night of July 4, you're prepared to swear that you actually saw the accused"--the legal voice was stern--"go into Robert Fielding's room; and you are also prepared to swear that by the time you went to bed, she had not come out." "Yes, m'lord." "Where were you at the time you saw all this?" "I was standing in the passage----"