"Was he in the habit of spending the night in your house?"
"He has sometimes stopped with me during the summer months when I was detained in Washington and my wife and daughter were away."
"He was familiar with your house, then?"
"You mean—architecturally?"
"Yes. Could he find his way about it alone in the dark?"
"I presume he could—provided he was sober," dryly. "The arrangement of the rooms is not complicated, and one floor is very much like another."
Coroner Penfield cleared his throat. "Was Mr. Spencer a welcome guest in your house?"
"Certainly; otherwise I should not have invited him," replied Whitney, with quiet dignity.
"Let me amend my question." The coroner laid down his pencil. "Was Mr.
Spencer on a friendly footing with each member of your household?"
"I have every reason to believe he was."