ome, for he had his seat on the bench, and he
could escape for an hour from this very hot and oppressive atmosphere.
But he did not go to his Lewes office, or to any hotel to get his lunch.
He went to the station, where after waiting some quarter of an hour, he
took the train to Brighton. The train ran through Falmer and from his
window he could see where the Park palings made an angle close to the
road; it was from there that the path over the Downs, where he had so
often walked, passed to Brighton.

Again the judge took his seat, still carrying the little parcel wrapped
up in tissue paper.

There was no need for the usher to call silence, for the silence was
granted without being asked for.

The counsel for the defence called the first witness; he also unwrapped a
flat parcel which he had brought into court with him, and handed it to
the witness.

"That was supplied by your firm?"

"Yes sir."

"Who ordered it?"

"Mr. Assheton."

"Mr. Morris Assheton, that is. Did he order it from you, you yourself?"

"Yes, sir."

"Did he give any specific instructions about it?"

"Yes, sir."

"What were they?"

"That the blotting book which Mrs. Assheton had already ordered was to be
countermanded, and that this was to be sent in its stead on June 24th."

"You mean not after June 24th?"

"No, sir; the instructions were that it was not to be sent before
June 24th."

"Why was that?"

"I could not say, sir. Those were the instructions."

"And it was sent on June 24th."

"Yes, sir. It was entered in our book."

The book in question was produced and handed to the jury and the judge.

"That is all, Mrs. Assheton."

She stepped into the box, and smiled at Morris. There was no murmur of
sympathy, no rustling; the whole thing was too tense.

"You returned home on June 24th last, from a visit to town?"

"Yes."

"At what time?"

"I could not say to the minute. But about eleven in the morning."

"You found letters waiting for you?"

"Yes."

"Anything else?"

"A parcel."

"What did it contain?"

"A blotting-book. It was a present from my son on my birthday."

"Is this the blotting-book?"

"Yes."

"What did you do with it?"

"I opened it and placed it on my writing table in the drawing-room."

"Thank you; that is all."

There was no cross-examination of this witness, and after the pause, the
counsel for the defence spoke again.

"Superintendent Figgis."

"You searched the house of Mrs. Asshe