The witness hesitated and burst into tears. Her answer was impeded by sobs.
"Of course it was a dreadful thing for me to do--as things have turned out. I had no ill thought in it. I was only going to tell him that Scott had come and was sitting with my uncle. There was nothing in that to make Sir Adam angry."
"You have not replied to my question. Why did you hasten to tell Sir Adam?"
"There was no very particular cause. Before I left home in May, I had hoped Mr. Scott had ceased his visits: when I found, by his coming this evening, that he had not, I thought I would tell Sir Adam. We both disliked Martin Scott from his rudeness to me. I began to feel afraid of him again."
"Afraid of what?"
"Lest he should be rude to me as he had been before."
"Allow me to ask--in a case of this sort, would it not have been your uncle's place to deal with Mr. Scott, rather than Sir Adam Andinnian's?"
The witness bent her head, and sobbed. While the prisoner, without affording her time for any answer, again spoke up.
"When Martin Scott insulted Miss Turner before, I had particularly requested her to inform me at once if he ever attempted such a thing again. I also requested her to let me know of it if he resumed his visits at her uncle's house. I wished to protect Miss Turner as efficiently as I would have protected a sister."
The prisoner was ordered to be silent. Miss Turner's examination went on.