Hurst, an unmarried man, or is he not?"

"I never asked him," said the witness sulkily.

"Please answer my question--yes or no."

"How can I answer your question? He may be married or he may not. How
do I know? I'm no private detective."

Mr. Loram directed a stupefied gaze at the witness, and in the ensuing
silence a plaintiff [Transcriber's note: plaintive?] voice came from
the bench:

"Is that point material?"

"Certainly, my lord," replied Mr. Loram.

"Then, as I see that you are calling Mr. Hurst, perhaps you had better
put the question to him. He will probably know."

Mr. Loram bowed, and as the Judge subsided into his normal state of
coma he turned to the triumphant witness.

"Do you remember anything remarkable occurring on the twenty-third of
November the year before last?"

"Yes. Mr. John Bellingham called at our house."

"How did you know he was Mr. John Bellingham?"

"I didn't; but he said he was, and I supposed he knew."

"At what time did he arrive?"

"At twenty minutes past five in the evening."

"What happened then?"

"I told him that Mr. Hurst had not come home yet, and he said he would
wait for him in the study and write some letters; so I showed him into
the study and shut the door."

"What happened next?"

"Nothing. Then Mr. Hurst came home at his usual time--a quarter to
six--and let himself in with his key. He went straight into the study
where I supposed Mr. Bellingham still was, so I took no notice, but
laid the table for two. At six o'clock Mr. Hurst came into the
dining-room--he has tea in the City and dines at six--and when he saw
the table laid for two he asked the reason. I said I thought Mr.
Bellingham was staying to dinner.

"'Mr. Bellingham!' says he. 'I didn't know he was here. Why didn't
you tell me?' he says. 'I thought he was with you, sir,' I said. 'I
showed him into the study,' I said. 'Well, he wasn't there when I came
in,' he said, 'and he isn't there now,' he said. 'Perhaps he has gone
to wait in the drawing-room,' he said. So he went and looked in the
drawing-room, but he wasn't there. Then Mr. Hurst said he thought Mr.
Bellingham must have got tired of waiting and gone away; but I told him
I was quite sure he hadn't, because I had been watching all the time.
Then he asked me if Mr. Bellingham was alone or whether his daughter
was with him, and I said that it wasn't Mr. Bellingham at all, but Mr.
John Bellingham, and then he was more su