Annie sprang forward.
"Is it Mrs. Jeffries?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied.
"Let me see her, judge," she exclaimed eagerly; "I'll tell her who it is and she can tell you—she's a woman—and I'd rather. Let me speak to her, please!"
Addressing the servant, the lawyer said:
"Ask Mrs. Jeffries to come up." Turning to his client, he went on:
"I see no objection to your speaking to Mrs. Jeffries. After all, she is your husband's stepmother. But I am free to confess that I don't understand you. I am more than disappointed in your failure to keep your word. You promised definitely that you would bring the witness here to-night. On the strength of that promise I made statements to Captain Clinton which I have not been able to substantiate. The whole story looks like an invention on your part."
She held out her hands entreatingly.
"It's not an invention! Really, judge! Just a little while longer! You've been so kind, so patient!"
There was a trace of anger in the lawyer's voice as he went on: