“What did you do next?”
“I stood at the foot of the stairs and listened.”
“What did you hear?”
“I heard dogs snarling and panting.” (Visible discouragement of the bench, boredom of the public, and exasperation of the lawyer for the defense. Dogs again—! But the inquisitive Judge insisted.)
“What dogs?”
She bent her head and spoke so low that she had to be told to repeat her answer: “I don’t know.”
“How do you mean—you don’t know?”
“I don’t know what dogs....”
The Judge again intervened: “Try to tell us exactly what happened. How long did you remain at the foot of the stairs?”
“Only a few minutes.”