“It’s dreadful darney, isn’t it?” she said, looking inquiringly at the counsellor.
“It is as you see, Ma’am. I have made no alteration in it.”
“I declare I believe this is the very stocking.”
“At the proper time, your honour, we shall show that this is not the stocking, if indeed there ever was such a stocking at all,” said Timms, rolling up the article in question, and handing it to the clerk to keep.
“You saw a certain piece of gold, you say,” resumed Dunscomb, “which piece of gold I understand you to say was afterwards found in the pocket of Mary Monson. Will you have the goodness to say whether the piece of gold which you saw in Mrs. Goodwin’s possession is among these?”—showing a dozen coins; “or whether one resembling it is here?”
The woman was greatly puzzled. She meant to be honest; had told no more than was true, with the exception of the little embellishments that her propensity to imagine and talk rendered almost unavoidable; but, for the life of her, she could not distinguish the piece of money, or its counterpart. After examining the coins for several minutes she frankly admitted her ignorance.[ignorance.]
“It is scarcely necessary to continue this cross-examination,” said Dunscomb, looking at his watch. “I shall ask the court to adjourn, and to adjourn over until morning. We have reached the hour for lighting candles; but we have agents out in quest of most important witnesses; and we ask the loss of this evening as a favour. It can make no great difference as to the length of the trial; and the jurors will be all the fresher for a good night’s rest.”
The court acquiesced, and allowed of the adjournment, giving the jury the usual charge about conversing or making up their opinions until they had heard the whole testimony; a charge that both Williams and Timms took very good care to render of no use in several instances, or as regarded particular individuals.
A decided impression was made in favour of the prisoner by Mrs. Pope’s failure to distinguish the piece of money. In her examination in chief she saw no difficulty in recognizing the single piece then shown to her, and which was the Dutch coin actually found in Mary Monson’s purse; but, when it was put among a dozen others resembling it, more or less, she lost all confidence in herself, and, to a certain point, completely broke down as a witness. But Dunscomb saw that the battle had not yet in truth begun. What had passed was merely the skirmishing of light troops, feeling the way for the advance of the heavy columns and the artillery that were to decide the fortunes of the day.