had spoken to him in the hall--I
guessed it then, I knew it afterward--and he thought to deceive this
court and blindfold a jury, whose attention had been drawn to this point
by his own counsel.

District Attorney Fox smiled. "How then did you get into the stable?"

"The stable! Oh, I had no trouble in getting into the stable."

"Was it unlocked?"

A slow flush broke over the prisoner's whole face. He saw where he had
been landed and took a minute to pull himself together before he replied:
"I had the key to that door, too. I got it out of the kitchen."

"You have not spoken of going into the kitchen."

"I have not spoken of coming downstairs."

"You went into the kitchen?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"When I first came down."

"That is not in accordance with your direct testimony. On the contrary,
you said that on coming downstairs you went straight to the rack for your
overcoat. Stenographer read what the prisoner said on this topic."

A rustling of leaves, distinctly to be heard in the deathlike silence of
the room, was followed by the reading of this reply and answer:

"_Yet you cannot say which of these two overcoats you put on when you
left your home an hour or so after finishing your dinner?_"

"_I cannot. I was in no condition to notice. I was bent on going into
town and, on coming downstairs, I went straight to the rack and pulled on
the first things that offered._"

The prisoner stood immobile but with a deepening line gathering on
his brow until the last word fell. Then he said: "I forgot. I went
for the key before I put on my overcoat. I wanted to see how the sick
horse looked."

"Did you drop this key into your pocket, too?"

"No, I carried it into the hall."

"What did you do with it there?"

"I don't know. Put it on the table, I suppose."

"Don't you remember? There were other keys lying on this table. Don't you
remember what you did with the one in your hand while you took the
club-house key from the midst of Mr. Ranelagh's bunch?"

"I laid it on the table. I must have--there was no other place to put
it."

"Laid it down by itself?"

"Yes."

"And took it up when you went out?"

"Of course."

"Carrying it straight to the stable?"

"Naturally."

"What did you do with it when you came out?"

"I left it in the stable-door."

"You did? What excuse have you to give for that?"

"None. I was reckless, and didn't care for anything--that's all."

"Yet you took several minutes, fo