'Not at all. She just thought it was the proper thing to do.'
'Is this the will? Signed by Mary Gerrard, witnessed by Emily Biggs and Roger Wade, confectioners' assistants, and leaving everything of which she died possessed to Mary Riley, sister of Eliza Riley?'
'That's right.'
It was handed to the jury.
'To your knowledge, had Mary Gerrard any property to leave?'
'Not then, she hadn't.'
'But she was shortly going to have?'
'Yes?'
'Is it not a fact that a considerable sum of money – two thousand pounds – was being given to Mary by Miss Carlisle?'
'Yes.'
'There was no compulsion on Miss Carlisle to do this? It was entirely a generous impulse on her part?'
'She did it of her own free will, yes.'
'But surely, if she had hated Mary Gerrard, as is suggested, she would not of her own free will have handed over to her a large sum of money.'
'That's as may be.'
'What do you mean by that answer?'
'I don't mean anything.'
'Exactly. Now, had you heard any local gossip about Mary Gerrard and Mr. Roderick Welman?'
'He was sweet on her.'
'Have you any evidence of that?'
'I just knew it, that's all.'
'Oh – you 'just knew it.' That's not very convincing to the jury, I'm afraid. Did you say on one occasion Mary would have nothing to do with him because he was engaged to Miss Elinor and she said the same to him in London?'
'That's what she told me.'
Sir Samuel Attenbury re-examined: 'When Mary Gerrard was discussing with you the wording of this will, did the accused look in through the window?'
'Yes, she did.'
'What did she say?'
'She said, 'So you're making your will, Mary. That's funny.' And she laughed. Laughed and laughed. And it's my opinion,' said the witness viciously, 'that it was at that moment the idea came into her head. The idea of making away with the girl! She'd murder in her heart that very minute.'
The judge spoke sharply: 'Confine yourself to answering the questions that are asked you. The last part of that answer is to be struck out.'
Elinor thought, How queer. When anyone says what's true, they strike it out.
She wanted to laugh hysterically.
II
Nurse O'Brien was in the box.
'On the morning of June 29th did Nurse Hopkins make a statement to you?'
'Yes. She said she had a tube of morphine hydrochloride missing from her case.'
'What did you do?'
'I helped her to hunt for it.'
'But you could not find it?'
'No.'
'To your knowledge, was the case left overnight in the hall?'
'It was.'
'Mr. Welman and the accused were both staying in the house at the time of Mrs. Welman's death – that is, on June 28th to 29th?'
'Yes.'
'Will you tell us of an incident that occurred on June 29th – the day after Mrs. Welman's death?'
'I saw Mr. Roderick Welman with Mary Gerrard. He was telling her he loved her, and he tried to kiss her.'
'He was at the time engaged to the accused?'
'Yes.'
'What happened next?'
'Mary told him to think shame of himself, and him engaged to Miss Elinor!'
'In your opinion, what was the feeling of the accused toward Mary Gerrard?'
'She hated her. She would look after her as though she'd like to destroy her.'
Sir Edwin jumped up.
Elinor thought, Why do they wrangle about it? What does it matter?
Sir Edwin Bulmer cross-examined: 'Is it not a fact that Nurse Hopkins said she thought she had left the morphia at home?'
'Well, you see, it was this way. After -'
'Kindly answer my question. Did she not say that she had probably left the morphia at home?'
'Yes.'
'She was not really worried at the time about it?'
'No, not then.'
'Because she thought she had left it at home. So naturally she was not uneasy.'
'She couldn't imagine anyone taking it.'
'Exactly. It wasn't till after Mary Gerrard's death from morphia that her imagination got to work.'
The judge interrupted: 'I think, Sir Edwin, that you have already been over that point with the former witness.'
'As your Lordship pleases.
'Now, regarding the attitude of the accused to Mary Gerrard, there was no quarrel between them at any time?'
'No quarrel, no.'
'Miss Carlisle was always quite pleasant to the girl?'
'Yes. 't was the way she looked at her.'
'Yes – yes – yes. But we can't go by that sort of thing. You're Irish, I think?'
'I am that.'
'And the Irish have rather a vivid imagination, haven't they?'
Nurse O'Brien cried excitedly, 'Every word I've told you is the truth.'
III
Mr. Abbott, the grocer, in the box. Flustered – unsure of himself (slightly thrilled, though, at his importance). His evidence was short. The purchase of two pots of fish paste. The accused had said, 'There's a lot of food poisoning with fish paste.' She had seemed excited and queer.
No cross-examination.
