“Was it substantially the same as Miss Page gave it?”
“Exactly the same, word for word.”
“Then I hardly think that that will be necessary. Just tell us what you did after you finished telephoning.”
“I went to the foot of the nursery stairs and called up to ask Pat if he had absolutely decided to go to the poker game. He called back yes, and asked if he couldn’t drop me at the Conroys’. I told him that I’d rather walk. I got that flannel coat out of the closet and started off for the gate at the back of the house that led to the back road. I was almost running.”
“Had you planned any course of action?”
“No, I hadn’t any definite plan, but I knew that I had to get to Stephen and make him stop Mimi, and that every minute was precious. Just as I got to the gate, I noticed that a wind had sprung up—quite a cold wind—and I remembered that Mother Ives had told me at dinner that Polly’s ear had been hurting her, and that she slept right by the window where that wind would blow on her, so I turned back to the house to tell Miss Page to be sure to put a screen around the head of her crib. I saw Mother Ives at the far end of the rose garden, but I thought that it would take as long to call her and explain as it would to do it myself. So I ran on to the house, and I was halfway up the nursery stairs before I heard Pat’s voice. I thought he was talking to the babies, and I hurried up the last few steps. I was almost at the nursery door when I heard another voice—Kathleen Page’s. It wasn’t coming from the nursery; it was coming from her room. She was saying, ‘Don’t let her send me away from you—don’t, don’t! All I want——’ ”
“Your Honour——”
Farr’s warning voice was hardly swifter than Judge Carver’s: “I am afraid that you cannot tell us what you heard, Mrs. Ives.”
“I cannot tell you what I heard Kathleen Page saying?”
The wonder in the clear, incredulous voice penetrated the farthest corner of the courtroom.