he presence of a third
party in the cottage. Giving a dreary shake of the head, he slowly
answered:

"There may have been somebody else in the house, I don't know; but if
so, I didn't hear him or see him. I thought we were alone."

The frankness with which he made the admission was in his favor, but the
quick and overpowering flush that rose to his face the moment he had
given utterance to it, betrayed so unmistakable a consciousness of what
the admission implied that the effect was immediately reversed. Seeing
that he had lost rather than gained in the opinions of the merciless
inquisitors about him, he went back to his old bravado, and haughtily
lifted his head.

"One question more," resumed the coroner. "You have said that Mrs.
Clemmens was a spirited woman. Now, what made you think so? Any
expression of annoyance on her part at the interruption in her work
which your errand had caused her, or merely the expression of her face
and the general way she had of speaking?"

"The latter, I think, though she did use a harsh word or two when she
showed me the door."

"And raised her voice?"

"Yes, yes."

"Mr. Hildreth," intimated the coroner, rising, "will you be kind enough
to step with me into the adjoining room?"

With a look of wonder not unmixed with alarm, the young man prepared to
comply.

"I should like the attention of the jury," Dr. Tredwell signified as he
passed through the door.

There was no need to give them this hint. Not a man of them but was
already on his feet in eager curiosity as to what their presiding
officer was about to do.

"I wish you to tell me now," the coroner demanded of Mr. Hildreth, as
they paused in the centre of the sitting-room, "where it was you stood
during your interview with Mrs. Clemmens, and, if possible, take the
very position now which you held at that time."

"There are too many persons here," the witness objected, visibly
rebelling at a request of which he could not guess the full
significance.

"The people present will step back," declared the coroner; "you will
have no trouble in taking your stand on the spot you occupied the other
day."

"Here, then!" exclaimed the young man, taking a position near the centre
of the room.

"And the widow?"

"Stood there."

"Facing you?"

"Yes."

"I see," intimated the coroner, pointing toward the windows. "Her back
was to the yard while you stood with your face toward it." Then with a
quick motion, summoning the w