The first witness for the defence was Doris Fanning. The drift of her evidence was to exonerate the prisoner at the expense of Hill. She declared that she had not gone to Riversbrook to see Hill after the final quarrel with Sir Horace. Hill had come to her flat in Westminster of his own accord and had asked for Birchill. She went out of the room while they discussed their business, but after Hill had gone Birchill told her that Hill had put up a job for him at Riversbrook. Birchill showed her the plan of Riversbrook that Hill had made, and asked her if it was correct as far as she knew. Yes, she was sure she would know the plan again if she saw it.
The judge's Associate handed it to Mr. Holymead, who passed it to the witness.
"Is this it?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied emphatically, almost without inspecting it.
"I want you to look at it closely," said Counsel. "When Birchill showed you the plan immediately after Hill's departure, what impression did you get regarding it?"
She looked at him blankly.
"I don't understand you," she said.
"You can tell the difference between ink that has been newly used and ink that has been on the paper some days. Was the ink fresh?"
"No, it was old ink," she said.
"How do you know that?"