Sergeant Rankin's voice echoed something of Judge Mann's perplexity; a true echo probably, for Callista sensed that Sergeant Rankin had never until this moment entertained the notion that the Monkshood Girl might be of unsound mind. And the notion might be, to Sergeant Rankin, interesting, without regard to the tender feelings of the District Attorney's office. For an accusation of physical coercion and threat of rape would be far less convincing from a psychopath. Cecil would be noticing the Sergeant's tentative nibbling at the idea. Cecil might be wishing that the Judge would make more inquiry along that line--for to Cecil, she knew, an insanity defense might still be a sort of last-ditch possibility in spite of her total refusal to go along with it. While she herself rather hoped the little man in the too priestlike gown would shut up and mind his own business. _What's it to him? Perhaps it will be to him, and not to Cecil whom I love, that I'll find the courage to say: I am guilty._ Sergeant Rankin picked his way among words like a man stepping from hummock to hummock through a marsh. "I would say, your Honor, that there was, maybe, something like that about her--general behavior. But--a vague sort of thing--I don't know if I should express an opinion, just a--a layman's opinion anyhow--" "Well," said the Judge crisply, "did Miss Blake become abusive, or scream, cry, talk irrationally or too loud or too fast, anything like that?" "No, your Honor, none of those things, not at all." "Did she seem confused, inattentive to what you said or unable to understand it?" "No, your Honor. Very cool and self-possessed, really. I had--if I might put it this way--I had an impression that she was deliberately talking over my head--that I didn't understand some of the things she said because I wasn't meant to." "Do you mean her answers were unresponsive, unconnected with the questions you asked?" "No, not quite that, your Honor. Well, I recall one thing, after she broke the aquarium heater and we exchanged those remarks about--about killing beautiful things. I said to her: 'Look, Miss Blake, if they decide to arrest you, surely you've got some friend who would have looked after that aquarium for you while you're away.' Now it's my recollection that I said that in a perfectly friendly, kindly way--I certainly had no wish to make things hard for her--but Miss Blake said: 'A spring morning can't be warmed up in the oven.' Well, I wouldn't know whether a head--whether a psychiatrist would call that an irrational reply or not. I just didn't think it made much sense." "I see. Go on, Mr. Hunter." "Did anything else significant happen before Chief Gage arrived?" "I think not, sir. Nothing I remember. I didn't think I was getting anywhere trying to talk with her, so for the last five or ten minutes we just sat there waiting for the others to come."