“Were you in this room at any time before twelve o’clock last night?”
“I was.”
“For how long?”
“From early in the day until near that hour.”
“Did you witness the death of this man?”
“I did.”
“Was any one else present?”
“There was.”
“Who?”
There was a prolonged silence after this question. When no answer came, the nervousness of the landlord displayed itself by the drumming of his fingers on the table, and in a score of rapid glances, first at the witness and then at the coroner. In striking contrast with Dodsman’s anxiety was the witness. She sat directly before the coroner on the opposite side of the table. She had answered clearly and to the point, until the direct question came as to who was present besides herself. Then she sat mute.