“I was curious to see whether Mr. Bartholomew would keep Mr. Quenton any longer than he did Mr. Edgar.”
“And did he?”
“A little, sir.”
“Did you and the woman Wealthy exchange remarks upon this?”
“We—we did, sir.”
At this admission, I took a quick look at Mr. Jackson and was relieved to see him make another entry in his little book. He had detected, here, as well as I, an opening for future investigation. I heard him, as it were in advance, putting this suggestive query to the present witness:
“What had you and Wealthy been saying on this subject?” I know very little of courts or the usages of court procedure, but I know that I should have put this question if I had been conducting this examination.
The Coroner evidently was not of my mind, which certainly was not strange, seeing where his sympathies were.
“What do you mean by little?”
“Ten minutes.”