t my principal reason for despising him was
because he had won the hand of Florence Lloyd.

I heard Coroner Monroe draw a long sigh.

Clearly, the man was becoming more and more apprehensive, and really
dreaded to go on with the proceedings, because he was fearful of what
might be disclosed thereby.

The gold bag still lay on the table before him; the yellow rose petals
were not yet satisfactorily accounted for; Miss Lloyd's agitation
and sudden loss of consciousness, though not surprising in the
circumstances, were a point in her disfavor. And now the revelation that
Mr. Crawford was actually on the point of disinheriting his niece made
it impossible to ignore the obvious connection between that fact and the
event of the night.

But no one had put the thought into words, and none seemed inclined to.

Mechanically, Mr. Monroe called the next witness on his list, and Mrs.
Pierce answered.

For some reason she chose to stand during her interview, and as she
rose, I realized that she was a prim little personage, but of such
a decided nature that she might have been stigmatized by the term
stubborn. I had seen such women before; of a certain soft, outward
effect, apparently pliable and amenable, but in reality, deep, shrewd
and clever.

And yet she was not strong, for the situation in which she found herself
made her trembling and unstrung.

When asked by the coroner to tell her own story of the events of the
evening before, she begged that he would question her instead.

Desirous of making it as easy for her as possible, Mr. Monroe acceded to
her wishes, and put his questions in a kindly and conversational tone.

"You were at dinner last night, with Miss Lloyd and Mr. Crawford?"

"Yes," was the almost inaudible reply, and Mrs. Pierce seemed about to
break down at the sad recollection.

"You heard the argument between Mr. Crawford and his niece at the dinner
table?"

"Yes."

"This resulted in high words on both sides?"

"Well, I don't know exactly what you mean by high words. Mr. Crawford
rarely lost his temper and Florence never."

"What then did Mr. Crawford say in regard to disinheriting Miss Lloyd?"

"Mr. Crawford said clearly, but without recourse to what may be called
high words, that unless Florence would consent to break her engagement
he would cut her off with a shilling."

"Did he use that expression?"

"He did at first, when he was speaking more lightly; then when Florence
refused to do a