"'Did you at any time inform her that the book had been tampered with?'--'I did not.'
"'You jumped at the conclusion that the gentlemen you accuse must be guilty?'--'There is no other conclusion.'
"'That will do. Call Mr. Shepherd.'
"Mr. Shepherd stepped into the witness-box.
"Mr. Lawson: 'You are an expert in handwriting?'--'Witness: I am; it is my profession.'
"'You have given evidence in many celebrated cases?'--'I have.'
"The Magistrate: 'Mr. Shepherd's name and reputation are well known.'
"'Have you examined the entry of the marriage between Emilia Braham and Gerald Paget?'--'I have.'
"'There is an undoubted erasure of the signature of the bridegroom?'--'There is.'
"'The name, Gerald Paget, as it now appears, has been recently written?'--'Quite recently, within the past week. The state of the ink in which the name is freshly written proves it.'