“She was brought home by friends, Colonel and Mrs. Chase.” McIntyre in turning about in his chair knocked down his walking stick from its resting place against its side, and the unexpected clatter made several women, nervously inclined, jump in their seats. Observing them, McIntyre smiled and was still smiling amusedly when Penfield addressed him.
“Did you observe many lights burning in your house when you returned?” asked Penfield.
“No, only those which are usually left lit at night.”
“Was your daughter Helen awake?”
“I do not know. Her room was in darkness when I walked past her door on my way to bed.”
Penfield removed his eye-glasses and polished them on his silk handkerchief. “I have no further questions to ask. Colonel, you are excused.”
McIntyre bowed gravely to him and as he left the platform came face to face with his family physician, Dr. Stone.
Penfield, who was an old acquaintance of the physician's, signed to him to come on the platform. After the preliminaries had been gone through, he shifted his chair around, the better to face Stone.
“Did you accompany the Misses McIntyre to the police court on Tuesday morning?” he asked.
“I did,” responded the physician, “at Miss Barbara's request. She said her sister was not very well and they disliked going alone to the police court.”