“She’d been crying awful, and she just lay quiet and wouldn’t eat no dinner.”
“Do Mr. and Mrs. Atkins get along well together?”
“Oh, sir, they’re that loving,” she answered with a blush and a smile.
Again my curiosity got the better of my discretion, and I asked: “Did you hear any strange noises during the night?”
The Coroner glared at me, but said nothing this time.
“Well,” replied the girl, “me and Jane did think as we’d heard a scream.”
Ha, ha, thought I, and I saw Mr. Merritt indulge in one of his quiet smiles.
“So you heard a scream,” said the Coroner.
“I don’t know for sure; I thought so.”
“At what time did you hear it?”