"Your inspiration, Dick?" asked Fred, anxiously.
"My inspiration, Fred," said Garden, gravely. "If the tack is a wrong one, we'll try another. Now, Tom, you have nothing to reproach yourself with. You could do no less than speak the truth."
"I could, sir; I could have held my tongue."
"There is no possibility of your being mistaken in any part of the evidence you gave?"
"Unluckily no, sir. I say so to you because you're Miss Phœbe's friend; but if I had the opportunity now I'd swear the other way."
"Don't speak like that, Tom. What we want is to save Miss Farebrother honestly and honourably: that is our first great object. The next is to bring the murderers to justice. You were not in court during the whole of the trial."
"No, sir. I was told when to go to give my evidence, and then I had to go back to my duty."
"You were not aware, before you answered the questions as to the woman you saw in the grounds at Parksides and the dress she wore, that other witnesses were examined with respect to the colour of the dress Miss Farebrother had on when she left her aunt's house?"
"No, sir, I knew nothing of it; and I wondered what they were driving at."
"You swore to the colour—blue?"