ailor's turn.

'And how do you know Lewis didn't put the blood there?' he asked. 'I
believe it's Lewis myself. Anyway, one of them must have done it,
that's clear.'

But this was felt to be a weak defence, and the next two jurymen shook
their heads, and professed themselves unable to throw any light upon
the question. Then it was the turn of the boat proprietor.

'Look here,' he said, 'what's the good of our trying to come to a
verdict when we're none of us sure which of them did it? Better give
it up, and tell the judge we can't agree.'

But the foreman would not hear of this.

'No, sir,' he said, 'we are here sworn to do justice between man and
man and mete out punishment to the guilty, and we must not shrink from
our task. We have heard the case through, and if we are not competent
to give a verdict on it, who is?'

This was felt to be unanswerable. Not only were the foreman's words
worthy of attention in themselves, but he was a great man, the reputed
possessor of twelve thousand a year; he wore a frock coat and a white
waistcoat as well, and his word was, therefore, practically
equivalent to law.

There remained only the watchmaker. He felt a friendly feeling towards
the prisoner, but he was troubled by real misgivings as to her
innocence.

'The judge said we oughtn't to go against Mr. Lewis,' he said, 'and I
stand by what the judge says. Besides, I look at what he said when he
gave her in charge.'

'What was that?' said the foreman eagerly.

'I'll tell you, sir. It was in the paper at the time, and I happened
to keep it by me, and so when I was summoned as a juror, thinks I to
myself, "This may come in useful if I should happen to be on the jury
that's to try her," so I just cuts it out and brings it in my pocket.'

The other men looked on keenly, as he slowly drew out his pocket-book
and extracted a newspaper cutting, embracing some two and a half
columns of the _Southern Daily News_. Everyone hoped that something of
a decisive character would now be forthcoming.

The watchmaker ran his finger down the columns.

'Here it is!' he exclaimed, and read it aloud.

'"On reaching the police-station, of which Constable Smithies was then
in charge, Mr. Lewis said: 'I charge Eleanor Owen with the murder of
my aunt, Ann Elizabeth Lewis. I have made some money, and, please God,
I'll spend every penny of it rather than my poor aunt shall remain
unavenged.'

'"Constable Smithies at once summoned Sergeant--"