The butler, a good-natured-looking man, with a pleasant smile, but whose mind was evidently rather unhinged by the position he found himself in, looked bewildered at this, and rather frightened. The barrister hastened to reassure him. 'What I mean is this. If you had been out some time during the evening, before half-past ten, would it not have been possible for you to have accidentally left the latch in this position?' The witness looked relieved, and hastened to answer. 'Yes, of course, I might have.' Tressamer turned round to the jury to see if they appreciated his point. Then he resumed. 'You have known Miss Owen some time, I think. Tell me, have you ever noticed that she was liable to nervous headaches?' 'I have heard her say she had a headache.' 'What was the last time you heard her say so?' The witness looked puzzled, and seemed to be trying to remember. 'Perhaps I can help you,' said the barrister. 'About this very time, now; just before this happened?' 'Ah, yes, sir, now you remind me, I remember. When she didn't come down that morning, I said to Rebecca, "Very likely she's had another bad night."' '_Another_ bad night? Then she was liable to insomnia?' The witness stared. 'I beg your pardon. I mean, she sometimes did suffer from want of sleep?' 'She sometimes had bad nights, sir.' 'Exactly. And you remembered she had been having them just before this?' 'Well, no, sir; I can't say as I do remember that.' The barrister frowned impatiently. 'Well, tell me this,' he said: 'do you know what she was in the habit of doing on these occasions, when she couldn't get to sleep?' 'No, sir.' 'Did you ever hear of her going out for a walk at night?' The whole court was eagerly following this cross-examination, as the defence now began to be visible. But the answer of the witness fell like lead: 'No.' Tressamer looked deeply disappointed. He had been baffled just where he had evidently built upon success. He only put one more question. '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 buttons 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.'