"'At what time did you go to the ball, Mrs. Levison?' the coroner asked.
"'My brother-in-law,' she replied, 'went out to call a taxi at half-past nine, and he and I got into it the moment one drew up.'
"'And Mr. Reuben Levison had been in to say good-night to his mother just before that?'
"'Yes, about ten minutes before.'
"'And he brought you the stars then,' the coroner insisted, 'and you put them on before he went out to call the taxi?'
"For the fraction of a second Rebecca Levison hesitated, but I do not think that any one in the audience except myself noted that little fact. Then she said quite firmly:
"'Yes, Mr. Reuben Levison told me that he had persuaded his mother to let me wear the stars, he handed them to me and I put them on.'
"'And that was at half-past nine?'
"Again Rebecca Levison hesitated, this time more markedly; her face was very pale and she passed her tongue once or twice across her lips before she gave answer.
"'At about half-past nine,' she said, quite steadily.