y the
deceased in your presence, on the day of her death?"

"Yes."

"And though you, as a physician, were conversant with her troubles and
aware of the danger of such a dose, you did not prevent her from
taking this dangerous poison?"

"I endeavored to do so. I took the syringe away from her."

"You took it away from her after she had taken nearly all of the
dose?"

"She had taken all but five minims before I could reach her."

"It was you who sent the nurse away, I believe?"

"I gave her permission to go out."

"You told her to remain until nine o'clock?"

"I told her that she might do so."

"And this syringe incident occurred at eight o'clock?"

"At eight thirty."

"That is, half an hour before you expected to be interrupted by the
return of the nurse?"

"You do not word your questions justly. I did not expect to be
interrupted by the return of the nurse. To be interrupted, one must be
occupied with some special work. I was not specially engaged."

"You were supposed to be specially engaged watching your patient, in
place of the nurse, with whose services you had dispensed. Had you
done your full duty, that is, had you done what the nurse would have
done, kept your patient under surveillance, she would not have had a
chance to take the morphine, would she?"

"It may be that I was grievously at fault, not to observe her more
closely. But I thought that she was asleep. An error is not a crime."

"There are errors that are criminal. Your jury will judge in this
case. Now, if you please, answer my question without further evasion.
Did not the nurse return half an hour sooner than you expected her?"

"She returned half an hour earlier than the time up to which I had
given her permission to be away."

"Exactly. Now, had she remained the full time, she would not have
known anything about this morphine incident?"

"Of course not."

"In which case, you would have kept it a secret."

"Most probably."

"But, as she did see you handling the syringe, you knew that she would
be in the position to testify to the fact that you yourself
administered the morphine?"

"It is not a fact that I administered the morphine, but I supposed
that she would so testify, judging from what she saw."

"Judging honestly?"

"Yes. Judging honestly."

"So that this professional nurse, accustomed herself to using
hypodermic syringes, had a right, as you admit, to judge from what she
saw, that you administered morphine t