“Certainly, sir. I meant no one else had any right there.”
I saw that Mrs. N., though naturally a hard woman, was somewhat moved by poor Elizabeth’s misery.
“Could your cook have known, by any means in your knowledge, where your money was?”
“Yes, sir; for she has often come up to my room when I was there, and I have given her money with which to buy provisions of marketmen who happened along with their wagons.”
“One more question: Have you known of the prisoner’s having used any money since this was stolen?”
“No, sir.”
I now called Nancy Luther back, and she began to tremble a little, though her look was as bold and defiant.
“Miss Luther,” I said, “why did you not inform your mistress at once of what you had seen without waiting for her to ask you about the lost money?”
“Because I could not make up my mind at once to expose the poor young girl,” she answered, promptly.
“You say you looked through the keyhole and saw her take the money?”