Judge.--"That will not do; that is not evidence."
Counsel.--"Undoubtedly it is not, my lord; but I did not seek for it. Now, witness, tell me at what hour, as near as possible, you left the town."
Witness.--"The quarter had not gone, but it must have been hard upon it."
Counsel.--"And at what hour did you reach the gardener's cottage?"
Witness.--"I looked at the clock when I came in, and it wanted a quarter to six; but then our clock is well-nigh a quarter too fast, and more of Friday nights, for Dame Humphreys only sets it on Saturday morning."
"Then by that calculation," said the counsel, "it must have wanted five-and-twenty minutes, or an half-hour to six when you got home. But tell me, do you know the clock very accurately?"
Witness.--"Yes, Mr. Acton taught me two months ago."
Counsel.--"And his kindness will safe his life. How long does it take you, witness, to go from the gardener's cottage to Northferry? I am told the distance, from Mr. Tracy's house to the village or town, is nearly two miles: can you walk that distance in a quarter of an hour?"
Counsel for the prosecution.--"That is a leading question."
Sir ----. --"I only wish to make the whole clear to the jury. I am not seeking to puzzle or to mislead; but it has been stated that the distance is nearly two miles. The boy has said he walked it in nearly twenty minutes, and, without pretending to disbelieve him, I wish him to explain, to reconcile the two facts, which at first sight seem incompatible."