The Court had reassembled rather late in the afternoon, so there was
little chance of much evidence being taken. Prelice went back to his
seat still wondering what thought hovered at the back of his brain
about Easter Island. He had visited that lonely and little known spot
during his travels in the company of a friend given to occult studies,
who insisted that the dismal spot of land was one of the remaining
portions of the great Continent of Lemuria, which was said to have
stretched from New Zealand to Africa. They had seen the famous
statues, and had fraternised with the somewhat dirty natives, who had
welcomed them warmly, as might be expected, seeing how few visitors
ever came to the desolate land. For one week Prelice and his friend,
Dr. Horace by name, had dwelt with the savages, and during that time
had seen much of their manners and customs, and even had witnessed
religious rites in front of the gigantic statues. Prelice had an idea
that there he had seen something, suggested anew by this murder case,
but vainly attempted to recall what it was. His memory would not help
him in the least.
Meanwhile Shepworth, looking much more cheerful now that he had
unbosomed himself to his chum, was again beside Cudworth, K.C., and
young Arker. Belmain called his first witness as soon as the judge
took his seat, in the person of the medical man who had examined the
body of the murdered baronet.
The medical evidence was very scanty. Dr. Quick stated that, to the
best of his belief, the dead man had been stabbed somewhere about ten
o'clock. The blow had been delivered straight and strong, and the
blade of the weapon used had penetrated right to the heart. Death must
have taken place instantaneously, and while Sir Oliver, suspecting no
treachery, had been reading. Belmain in cross-examination deduced from
this that the prisoner was guilty, since Sir Oliver would scarcely
have turned to his reading again had a stranger been in the room.
Also, had the person who committed the crime been one whom the dead
man suspected of any such design, he would assuredly not have
presented a defenceless back to such an assassin. No! It was evident
that the prisoner, after quarrelling with her uncle, had waited until
he again was buried in his books, and then had stabbed him with the
paper-knife. The doctor stated that the wound had been caused by a
broad, thin blade, which exactly described the jade-handled
paper-knife which was missing.