ook
his seat and the names of the jurymen were called over. Kemp entered the
witness-box with a more confident air than he had worn the previous day.
Mr. Walters rose to begin his cross-examination, and the witness faced
the barrister with the air of an old hand who knew the game, and was not
to be caught by any legal tricks or traps.

"You said yesterday, witness," commenced Mr. Walters, adjusting his
glasses and glancing from his brief to the witness and from the witness
back to the brief again, "that you saw the prisoner enter the gate at
Riversbrook about 9.30 on the night of the 18th of August?"

"Yes." The monosyllable was flung out as insolently as possible. The
speaker watched his interrogator with the lowering eyes of a man at
war with society, and who realised that he was facing one of his
natural enemies.

"Did he see you?"

"No."

"You are quite sure of that?"

"Haven't I just said so?"

"Do not be insolent, witness"--it was the judge's warning voice that
broke into the cross-examination--"answer the questions."

"How long was it after the prisoner entered the carriage drive that you
went to the edge of the plantation and heard voices upstairs?" continued
Mr. Walters.

"I went as soon as Mr. Holymead passed me."

"How far were you from the house?"

"About sixty yards."

"And from that distance you could hear the voices?"

"Yes."

"Plainly?"

"Not very. I could hear the voices, but I couldn't hear what they
were saying."

"Were they angry voices?"

"They seemed to me to be talking loudly."

"Yet you couldn't hear what they were saying?"

"No; I was sixty yards away."

"You said in your evidence in chief that the talking continued half an
hour. Did you time it?"

"No."

"Then what made you swear that?"

"I said about half an hour. I smoked out a pipeful of tobacco while I was
standing there, and that would be about half an hour." Kemp disclosed his
broken teeth in a faint grin.

"What happened next?"

"I heard the front door slam, and I saw somebody walking across the
garden, and go into the carriage drive towards the gate."

"Did you recognise who it was?"

"Yes; Mr. Holymead." Kemp looked at the prisoner as he gave the answer.

"You swear it was the prisoner?"

"I do."

"Let me recall your evidence in chief, witness. You swore that you
identified Mr. Holymead as he went in because he struck a match to look
at the time as he passed you, and you saw his face. Did he