“The clock in the hall had just struck.� Diana was holding every instinct, every thought, in hand. Her eyes never left his rugged face, yet, all the while, she was conscious of the court-room, growing dim in the early twilight, of the rows of upturned eager faces, but more conscious still of the pale face of Caleb Trench.
Judge Hollis made some notes, then he looked up suddenly. “Miss Royall,� he said formally, “do you know the prisoner at the bar?�
Diana drew a deep breath; she was aware of a hundred pairs of curious eyes. The awful silence of the room seemed to leap upon her and bear her down. She turned her head with an effort and met Caleb’s eyes. For a single second they looked at each other, with the shock of mutual feeling, then she answered, and her low voice reached the farthest corner of the crowded room.
“I do.�
Judge Hollis waited an instant; he let every word she said have its full effect and weight. “Did you see him upon the morning of the assassination?�
“I did.�
“In the basement of the court-house?�
“In the room which you call the cage, Judge Hollis,� she replied quietly, though she colored again; “I saw him there twice.�
“At what time?� the old man’s harsh voice rang, like the blow of a sledge-hammer.
“He was with me in that room when the clock struck one, and we both heard the shots fired.� Diana spoke gently, but her voice thrilled; she knew that, in the face of the scurrilous attacks upon Caleb Trench, her position was at once courageous and perilous.