e--could I
produce this revolver?

At this there were sounds from the back of the court like hisses, and
voices choked off on the first syllable by rappings and calls of
"Order!" The small man who was Mr. Dingley's associate attorney was
calling out, "I object, your Honor," very fiercely.

I felt faint, and did not know in the least what was the trouble. I
began to answer that I had not touched the revolver, but the judge
smiled at me, and said in his conversational voice: only now it was not
indifferent but very kind, "You needn't answer that question."

So I said, "Thank you." And Mr. Jackson said, "That will do," and I
noticed that some of the jurors were smiling, but quite nicely, so I
didn't mind that, as I went down out of the witness-box.

"Can it be that this is all I am to do?" I thought. "Is it over?" I
had expected this for so long in my days and in my dreams; and the
moment had come and had passed so quickly. And here was father waiting
for me.

"I shall have to testify. I will take you to the witness room and you
can wait for me there," he explained to me.

"Oh, no," I said, "let me stay here. I am afraid to be alone." I
suppose the thought of the Spanish Woman occurred to him, for he did
not insist, but really I was not afraid of anything except of having to
leave the court room before I knew what the end was to be.

By the time I had got back to my seat they had already called another
witness, and such a queer little, compact, positive-looking woman, with
a very gay, very best hat, was sitting in the witness-box looking,
possibly as I had looked, like a queer, scared animal in a pen.

She told how on the morning of May the seventh she had been awakened by
a pistol shot, had looked out of the window and seen a woman running
down the street. Questioned as to this woman's personal appearance,
she said she could not tell, but that she wore a white dress. In what
direction did she run? The woman thought south, yes, she was sure it
was south. At this I saw father shake his head, for our house was
north of Mr. Rood's gambling place, and I noticed that Johnny
Montgomery, who had been very calm while I was talking, had now grown
nervous and jerked about in his chair.

Father was the next witness, and when he came back again he really
tried to insist that we should go home. But, for the first time in my
life, I stood out against him. I said I could not go until I knew at
least what was goi