ld, therefore, must have been out, and returned
after the witness Rebecca had gone back to her room.

'Putting these facts together, it is clear that the only possible
authors of the crime subsequently discovered must have been the
butler, who had a latchkey, and prisoner.

'At eight o'clock the witness Rebecca came down and took two jugs of
hot water to the ladies' doors. She knocked at each. She heard a faint
reply from prisoner, but none from deceased's room.

'At half-past eight prisoner usually came down, and deceased was
generally seen a few minutes after.

'On this morning, the second of June, neither of them had appeared by
nine o'clock.

'The witness Rebecca then remembered that Miss Lewis had not answered
when called, and feared that she had failed to waken her. She
therefore went upstairs and knocked again.

'There was no answer. Becoming alarmed, because her mistress was old
and had once suffered from some seizure, she went to Miss Owen's door
and knocked impatiently.

'Prisoner at once came and opened it. She was completely dressed, and
apparently ready to come down.

'The following conversation, or something near it, then took place:

'The witness Rebecca began by saying that she had knocked at Miss
Lewis's door, but could get no answer. "Do you know if any thing's the
matter?" she said.

'Prisoner heard her without any appearance of surprise, and merely
answered:

'"No; we had better call to her, and if she doesn't answer, I'll go
in."

'They then went together to the door on the landing, and prisoner
called out loudly: "Miss Lewis! May I come in?"

'There was again no answer. Prisoner then put her hand to the door and
turned the handle. The door, however, would not open. It was locked,
and the key was inside.

'The only possible access, therefore, was through prisoner's own room.

'It is unnecessary to draw counsel's attention to the gravity of this
circumstance.'

('Quite unnecessary,' said Prescott sarcastically to himself. 'Bless
my soul, how he piles on the agony!')

'By this time the other servants in the house had taken the alarm. The
butler, John Simons, came on the scene, followed by the cook and
housemaid. It was he who now addressed prisoner:

'"We must get in through your room, miss," he said.

'It may be well to state here that Simons had lived with the deceased
for fifteen years, and was greatly trusted.

'He now went straight into prisoner's bedroom. Prisoner now